tihvavy  of  1:he  t:heolo0ical  ^tmimvy 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


PURCHASED  BY  THE 
HAMILL  MISSIONARY  FUND 

BV  3317  .M35  A3  1912 
McGilvary,  Daniel,  1828- 

1911. 
A  half  century  among  the 


A  HALF  CENTURY  AMONG  THE 
SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 


vOU^.^:^^  "^^.^^^^^ 


A  HALF  CENTURY  AMONG 
THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

AN    AUTOBIOGRAPHY 
By 

DANIEL   McGILVARY,  D.D. 

WITH  AN  APPRECIATION  BY 

ARTHUR    J.  BROWN,  D.D. 
ILLUSTRATED 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

London  and  Edinburgh 


Copyright,  igi2,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMrANY 


New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Chicago:  125  N.  Wabash  Ave. 
Toronto:  25  Richmond  St.,  W. 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:   100  Princes  Street 


TO 

MY   WIFE 


AN  APPRECIATION 

MISSIONARY  biography  is  one  of  the  most  in- 
teresting and  instructive  of  studies.  It  is, 
however,  a  department  of  missionary  litera- 
ture to  which  Americans  have  not  made  proportionate 
contribution.  The  foreign  missionary  Societies  of  the 
United  States  now  represent  more  missionaries  and  a 
larger  expenditure  than  the  European  Societies,  but 
most  of  the  great  missionary  biographies  are  of  British 
and  Continental  missionaries,  so  that  many  Americans 
do  not  realize  that  there  are  men  connected  with  their 
own  Societies  whose  lives  have  been  characterized  by 
eminent  devotion  and  large  achievement. 

Because  I  regarded  Dr.  McGilvary  as  one  of  the  great 
missionaries  of  the  Church  Universal,  I  urged  him  sev- 
eral years  ago  to  write  his  autobiography.  He  was 
then  over  seventy-five  years  of  age,  and  I  told  him  that 
he  could  not  spend  his  remaining  strength  to  any  bet- 
ter advantage  to  the  cause  he  loved  than  in  preparing 
such  a  volume.  His  life  was  not  only  one  of  unusual 
length  (he  lived  to  the  ripe  age  of  eighty-three),  but  his 
missionary  service  of  fifty-three  years  covered  an  inter- 
esting part  of  the  history  of  missionary  work  in  Siam, 
and  the  entire  history,  thus  far,  of  the  mission  to  the 
Lao  people  of  northern  Siam.  There  is  no  more 
fascinating  story  in  fiction  or  in  that  truth  which  is 
stranger  than  fiction,  than  the  story  of  his  discovery  of 
a  village  of  strange  speech  near  his  station  at  Pecha- 
buri,  Siam,  his  learning  the  language  of  the  villagers, 
his  long  journey  with  his  friend,  Dr.  Jonathan  Wilson, 
1 


2  AN  APPRECIATION 

into  what  was  then  the  unknown  region  of  northern 
Siam,  pushing  his  little  boat  up  the  great  river  and 
pausing  not  until  he  had  gone  six  hundred  miles  north- 
ward and  arrived  at  the  city  of  Chiengmai.  The  years 
that  followed  were  years  of  toil  and  privation,  of  lone- 
liness and  sometimes  of  danger;  but  the  missionaries 
persevered  with  splendid  faith  and  courage  until  the 
foundations  of  a  prosperous  Mission  were  laid. 

In  all  the  marked  development  of  the  Lao  Mission, 
Dr.  McGilvary  was  a  leader — the  leader.  He  laid  the 
foundations  of  medical  work,  introducing  quinine  and 
vaccination  among  a  people  scourged  by  malaria  and 
smallpox,  a  work  which  has  now  developed  into  five 
hospitals  and  a  leper  asylum.  He  began  educational 
work,  which  is  now  represented  by  eight  boarding 
schools  and  twenty-two  elementary  schools,  and  is 
fast  expanding  into  a  college,  a  medical  college,  and  a 
theological  seminary.  He  was  the  evangelist  who  won 
the  first  converts,  founded  the  first  church,  and  had  a 
prominent  part  in  founding  twenty  other  churches, 
and  in  developing  a  Lao  Christian  Church  of  four 
thousand  two  hundred  and  five  adult  communicants. 
His  colleague,  the  Rev.  Dr.  W.  C.  Dodd,  says  that  Dr. 
McGilvary  selected  the  sites  for  all  the  present  stations 
of  the  Mission  long  before  committees  formally  sanc- 
tioned the  wisdom  of  his  choice.  He  led  the  way  into 
regions  beyond  and  was  the  pioneer  explorer  into  the 
French  Lao  States,  eastern  Burma,  and  even  up  to 
the  borders  of  China.  Go  where  you  will  in  northern 
Siam,  or  in  many  sections  of  the  extra-Siamese  Lao 
States,  you  will  find  men  and  women  to  whom  Dr.  Mc- 
Gilvary first  brought  the  Good  News.  He  well  de- 
serves the  name  so  frequently  given  him  even  in  his  life- 
time—" The  Apostle  to  the  Lao." 


AN  APPRECIATION  3 

It  was  my  privilege  to  conduct  our  Board's  corre- 
spondence with  Dr.  McGilvary  for  more  than  a  decade, 
and,  in  1902,  to  visit  him  in  his  home  and  to  journey 
with  him  through  an  extensive  region.  I  have  abiding 
and  tender  memories  of  those  memorable  days.  He 
was  a  Christian  gentleman  of  the  highest  type,  a  man 
of  cultivation  and  refinement,  of  ability  and  scholar- 
ship, of  broad  vision  and  constructive  leadership.  His 
evangelistic  zeal  knew  no  bounds.  A  toilsome  journey 
on  elephants  through  the  jungles  brought  me  to  a 
Saturday  night  with  the  weary  ejaculation:  "Now  we 
can  have  a  day  of  rest ! "  The  next  morning  I  slept 
late;  but  Dr.  McGilvary  did  not;  he  spent  an  hour  be- 
fore breakfast  in  a  neighbouring  village,  distributing 
tracts  and  inviting  the  people  to  come  to  a  service  at 
our  camp  at  ten  o'clock.  It  was  an  impressive  service, 
— under  a  spreading  bo  tree,  with  the  mighty  forest 
about  us,  monkeys  curiously  peering  through  the 
tangled  vines,  the  huge  elephants  browsing  the  bamboo 
tips  behind  us,  and  the  wondering  people  sitting  on 
the  ground,  while  one  of  the  missionaries  told  the 
deathless  story  of  redeeming  love.  But  Dr.  McGilvary 
was  not  present.  Seventy-four  years  old  though  he 
was,  he  had  walked  three  miles  under  a  scorching  sun 
to  another  village  and  was  preaching  there,  while  Dr. 
Dodd  conducted  the  service  at  our  camp.  And  I  said : 
"  If  that  is  the  way  Dr.  McGilvary  rests,  what  does  he 
do  when  he  works  ? "  Dr.  McKean,  his  associate  of 
many  years,  writes : 

"  No  one  who  has  done  country  evangelistic  work 
with  Dr.  McGilvary  can  ever  forget  the  oft-seen  picture 
of  the  gray-haired  patriarch  seated  on  the  bamboo  floor 
of  a  thatch-covered  Lao  house,  teaching  some  one  to 
read.    Of  course,  the  book  faced  the  pupil,  and  it  was 


4  AN  APPRECIATION 

often  said  that  he  had  taught  so  many  people  in  this 
way  that  he  could  read  the  Lao  character  very  readily 
with  the  book  upside  down.  Little  children  in- 
stinctively loved  him,  and  it  is  therefore  needless  to 
say  that  he  loved  them.  In  spite  of  his  long  snow- 
white  beard,  never  seen  in  men  of  this  land  and  a 
strange  sight  to  any  Lao  child,  the  children  readily 
came  to  him.  Parents  have  been  led  to  God  because 
Dr.  McGilvary  loved  their  children  and  laid  his  hands 
upon  them.  In  no  other  capacity  was  the  spirit  of  the 
man  more  manifest  than  in  that  of  a  shepherd.  Al- 
ways on  the  alert  for  every  opportunity,  counting 
neither  time  nor  distance  nor  the  hardship  of  inclement 
weather,  swollen  streams,  pathless  jungle,  or  impass- 
able road,  he  followed  the  example  of  his  Master  in 
seeking  to  save  the  lost.  His  very  last  journey,  which 
probably  was  the  immediate  cause  of  his  last  illness, 
was  a  long,  wearisome  ride  on  horseback,  through 
muddy  fields  and  deep  irrigating  ditches,  to  visit  a 
man  whom  he  had  befriended  many  years  ago  and  who 
seemed  to  be  an  inquirer," 

Dr.  McGilvary  was  pre-eminently  a  man  who  walked 
with  God.  His  piety  was  not  a  mere  profession,  but  a 
pervasive  and  abiding  force.  He  knew  no  greater  joy 
than  to  declare  the  Gospel  of  his  blessed  Lord  to  the 
people  to  whose  up-lifting  he  had  devoted  his  life, 
"  If  to  be  great  is  '  to  take  the  common  things  of  life 
and  walk  truly  among  them,'  he  was  a  great  man — 
great  in  soul,  great  in  simplicity,  great  in  faith  and 
great  in  love.  Siam  is  the  richer  because  Daniel  Mc- 
Gilvary gave  her  fifty-three  years  of  unselfish  service." 
Mrs.  Curtis,  the  gifted  author  of  Th^  Laos  of  North 
Siam,  says  of  Dr.  McGilvary :  '^  Neither  Carey  nor  Jud- 
son  surpassed  him  in  strength  of  faith  and  zeal  of  pur- 


AN  APPRECIATION  5 

pose;  neither  Paton  nor  Chalmers  has  outranked  him 
in  the  wonders  of  their  achievements,  and  not  one  of 
the  other  hundreds  of  missionaries  ever  has  had  more 
evidence  of  God's  blessing  upon  their  work." 

Not  only  the  missionaries  but  the  Lao  people  loved 
him  as  a  friend  and  venerated  him  as  a  father.  Some 
of  his  intimate  friends  were  the  abbots  and  monks  of 
the  Buddhist  monasteries  and  the  high  officials  of  the 
country.  No  one  could  know  him  without  recognizing 
the  nobility  of  soul  of  this  saintly  patriarch,  in  whom 
was  no  guile.  December  Gth,  1910,  many  Americans 
and  Europeans  celebrated  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  his 
marriage.  The  King  of  Siam  through  Prince  Dam- 
rong,  Minister  of  the  Interior,  sent  a  congratulatory 
message.  Letters,  telegrams,  and  gifts  poured  in  from 
many  different  places.  The  Christian  people  of  the 
city  presented  a  large  silver  tray,  on  which  was  en- 
graved :  "  The  Christian  people  of  Chiengmai  to  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  McGilvary,  in  memory  of  your  having  brought 
the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  to  us  forty-three  years  ago." 
The  tray  showed  in  relief  the  old  rest-house  where  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  McGilvary  spent  their  first  two  years  in 
Chiengmai,  the  residence  which  was  later  their  home 
of  many  years,  the  old  dilapidated  bridge,  and  the  hand- 
some new  bridge  which  spans  the  river  opposite  the 
Christian  Girls'  School — thus  symbolizing  the  old  and 
the  new  eras. 

The  recent  tours  of  exploration  by  the  Rev.  W.  Clif- 
ton Dodd,  D.D.,  and  the  Rev.  John  H.  Freeman  have 
disclosed  the  fact  that  the  Lao  peoples  are  far  more 
numerous  and  more  widely  distributed  than  we  had 
formerly  supposed.  Their  numbers  are  now  estimated 
at  from  twelve  to  sixteen  millions,  and  their  habitat 
includes  not  only  the  Lao  States  of  northern  Siam  but 


6  AN  APPRECIATION 

extensive  regions  north  and  northeastward  in  the  Shan 
States,  Southern  China,  and  French  Indo-China.  The 
evangelization  of  these  peoples  is,  therefore,  an  even 
larger  and  more  important  undertaking  than  it  was 
understood  to  be  only  a  few  years  ago.  All  the  more 
honour,  therefore,  must  be  assigned  to  Dr.  McGilvary, 
who  laid  foundations  upon  which  a  great  superstruc- 
ture must  now  be  built. 

Dr.  McGilvary  died  as  he  would  have  wished  to  die 
and  as  any  Christian  worker  might  wish  to  die.  There 
was  no  long  illness.  He  continued  his  great  evangel- 
istic and  literary  labours  almost  to  the  end.  Only  a 
short  time  before  his  death,  he  made  another  of  his 
famous  itinerating  journeys,  preaching  the  Gospel  to 
the  outlying  villages,  guiding  perplexed  people  and 
comforting  the  sick  and  dying.  He  recked  as  little  of 
personal  hardship  as  he  had  all  his  life,  thinking 
nothing  of  hard  travelling,  simple  fare,  and  exposure 
to  sun,  mud,  and  rain.  Not  long  after  his  return  and 
after  a  few  brief  days  of  illness,  he  quietly  "  fell  on 
sleep,"  his  death  the  simple  but  majestic  and  dignified 
ending  of  a  great  earthly  career. 

The  Lao  country  had  never  seen  such  a  funeral  as 
that  which  marked  the  close  of  this  memorable  life. 
Princes,  Governors,  and  High  Commissioners  of  State 
sorrowed  with  multitudes  of  common  people.  The 
business  of  Chiengmai  was  suspended,  oflSces  were 
closed,  and  flags  hung  at  half-mast  as  the  silent  form 
of  the  great  missionary  was  borne  to  its  last  resting- 
place  in  the  land  to  which  he  was  the  first  bringer 
of  enlightenment,  and  whose  history  can  never  be  truly 
written  without  large  recognition  of  his  achievements. 

Fortunately,  Dr.  McGilvary  had  completed  this  auto- 
biography before  his  natural  powers  had  abated,  and 


AN  APPRECIATION  7 

had  sent  the  manuscript  to  his  brother-in-law,  Pro- 
fessor Cornelius  B.  Bradley  of  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia. Dr.  Bradley,  himself  a  son  of  a  great  mission- 
ary to  Siam,  has  done  his  editorial  work  with  sympa- 
thetic insight.  It  has  been  a  labour  of  love  to  him  to 
put  these  pages  through  the  press,  and  every  friend  of 
the  Lao  people  and  of  Dr.  McGilvary  is  his  debtor. 
The  book  itself  is  characterized  by  breadth  of  sym- 
pathy, richness  of  experience,  clearness  of  statement, 
and  high  literary  charm.  No  one  can  read  these  pages 
without  realizing  anew  that  Dr.  McGilvary  was  a  man 
of  fine  mind,  close  observation,  and  descriptive  gifts. 
The  book  is  full  of  human  interest.  It  is  the  story  of 
a  man  who  tells  about  the  things  that  he  heard  and 
saw  and  who  tells  his  story  well.  I  count  it  a  priv- 
ilege to  have  this  opportunity  of  commending  this  vol- 
ume as  one  of  the  books  which  no  student  of  southern 
Asia  and  of  the  missionary  enterprise  can  afford  to 
overlook. 

Arthur  J.  Brown. 
156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York. 


PREFACE 

YEARS  ago,  in  the  absence  of  any  adequate  work 
upon  the  subject,  the  officers  of  our  Missionary 
Board  and  other  friends  urged  me  to  write  a 
book  on  the  Lao  Mission.  Then  there  appeared  Mrs. 
L.  W.  Curtis'  interesting  volume,  The  Laos  of  North 
Siam,  much  to  be  commended  for  its  accuracy  and  its 
valuable  information,  especially  in  view  of  the  author's 
short  stay  in  the  field.  But  no  such  work  exhausts  its 
subject. 

I  have  always  loved  to  trace  the  providential  circum- 
stances which  led  to  the  founding  of  the  Lao  Mission 
and  directed  its  early  history.  And  it  seems  important 
that  before  it  be  too  late,  that  early  history  should  be 
put  into  permanent  form.  I  have,  therefore,  en- 
deavoured to  give,  with  some  fulness  of  detail,  the 
story  of  the  origin  and  inception  of  the  Mission,  and 
of  its  early  struggles  which  culminated  in  the  Edict 
of  Religious  Toleration.  And  in  the  later  portions  of 
the  narrative  I  have  naturally  given  prominence  to 
those  things  which  seemed  to  continue  the  character- 
istic features  and  the  personal  interest  of  that  earlier 
period  of  outreach  and  adventure,  and  especially  my 
long  tours  into  the  "  regions  beyond." 

The  appearance  during  the  past  year  of  Rev.  J.  H. 
Freeman's  An  Oriental  Land  of  the  Free,  giving  very 
full  and  accurate  information  regarding  the  present 
status  of  the  Mission,  has  relieved  me  of  the  necessity  of 
going  over  the  same  ground  again.  I  have,  therefore, 
9 


10  PREFACE 

been  content  to  draw  my  narrative  to  a  close  with  the 
account  of  my  last  long  tour  in  1898. 

The  work  was  undertaken  with  many  misgivings, 
since  my  early  training  and  the  nature  of  my  life- 
work  have  not  been  the  best  preparation  for  authorship. 
I  cherished  the  secret  hope  that  one  of  my  own  chil- 
dren would  give  the  book  its  final  revision  for  the 
press.  But  at  last  an  appeal  was  made  to  my  brother- 
in-law,  Professor  Cornelius  B.  Bradley  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  California,  whose  birth  and  years  of  service 
in  Siam,  whose  broad  scholarship,  fine  literary  taste, 
and  hearty  sympathy  with  our  missionary  efforts  in- 
dicated him  as  the  man  above  all  others  best  qualified 
for  this  task.  His  generous  acceptance  of  this  work, 
and  the  infinite  pains  he  has  taken  in  the  revision  and 
editing  of  this  book,  place  me  under  lasting  obligations 
to  him. 

I  wish  to  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to  Dr.  W.  A. 
Briggs  and  to  Rev.  J.  H.  Freeman  for  the  use  of  maps 
prepared  by  them,  and  to  Dr.  Briggs  and  others  for  the 
use  of  photographs. 

Daniel  McGilvaby. 

April  6,  1911, 
Chiengmai. 


NOTE  BY  THE  EDITOR 

THE  task  which  has  fallen  to  me  in  connection 
with  this  book,  was  undertaken  as  a  labour  of 
love;  and  such  it  seems  to  me  even  more,  now 
that  it  ends  in  sadness  of  farewell.  It  has  not  been 
an  easy  task.  The  vast  spaces  to  be  traversed,  and 
the  months  of  time  required  before  a  question  could 
receive  its  answer,  made  consultation  with  the  author 
almost  impossible.  And  the  ever-present  fear  that  for 
him  the  night  might  come  before  the  work  could  receive 
a  last  revision  at  his  hands,  or  even  while  he  was 
still  in  the  midst  of  his  story,  led  me  continually  to 
urge  upon  him  the  need  of  persevering  in  his  writing — 
which  was  evidently  becoming  an  irksome  task — and 
on  my  part  to  hasten  on  a  piecemeal  revision  as  the 
chapters  came  to  hand,  though  as  yet  I  had  no  meas- 
ure of  the  whole  to  guide  me. 

It  is,  therefore,  a  great  comfort  to  know  that  my 
urgency  and  haste  were  not  in  vain;  that  all  of  the 
revision  reached  him  in  time  to  receive  his  criticism  and 
correction — though  his  letter  on  the  concluding  chap- 
ter was,  as  I  understand,  the  very  last  piece  of  writing 
that  he  ever  did.  How  serene  and  bright  it  was,  and 
with  no  trace  of  the  shadow  so  soon  to  fall ! 

But  the  draft  so  made  had  far  outgrown  the  possible 
limits  of  publication,  and  was,  of  course,  without  due 
measure  and  proportion  of  parts.  In  the  delicate  task 
of  its  reduction  I  am  much  indebted  to  the  kind  sug- 
gestions of  the  Rev.  Arthur  J.  Brown,  D.D.,  and  the 
11 


12  NOTE  BY  THE  EDITOR 

Rev.  A.  W.  Halsey,  D.D.,  Secretaries  of  the  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  of 
the  Rev.  W.  C.  Dodd,  D.D.,  of  the  Lao  Mission,  who, 
fortunately,  was  in  this  country,  and  who  read  the 
manuscript.  For  what  appears  in  this  book,  how- 
ever, I  alone  must  assume  the  responsibility.  "  An 
autobiography  is  a  personal  book,  expressive  of  per- 
sonal opinion."  And  whether  we  agree  with  them  or 
not,  the  opinions  of  a  man  like  Dr.  McGilvary,  formed 
during  a  long  lifetime  of  closest  contact  with  the  mat- 
ters whereof  he  speaks,  are  an  essential  part  not  only 
of  the  history  of  those  matters,  but  of  the  portrait  of 
the  man,  and  far  more  interesting  than  any  mere  de- 
tails of  events  or  scenes.  On  all  grave  questions,  there- 
fore, on  which  he  has  expressed  his  deliberate  opinion, 
I  have  preferred  to  err  on  the  side  of  inclusion  rather 
than  exclusion. 


The  plan  adopted  in  this  volume  for  spelling  Siamese 
and  Lao  words  is  intended  to  make  possible,  and  even 
easy,  a  real  approximation  to  the  native  pronunciation. 
Only  the  tonal  inflections  of  native  speech  and  the 
varieties  of  aspiration  are  ignored,  as  wholly  foreign  to 
our  usage  and,  therefore,  unmanageable. 

The  consonant-letters  used  and  the  digraphs  ch  and 
ng  have  their  common  English  values. 

The  vowels  are  as  follows : 
Long  a  as  in  father 

e  as  in  tliey 

1  as  in  pique 

o  as  in  rode 

u  as  in  rude,  rood 

aw  as  in  la  ivn 

6  as  in  there  (without  the  r) 


NOTE  BY  THE  EDITOR  13 

6  as  in  loorld  (without  the  r) 

t.  is  the  high-mixed  vowel,  not  found  in  English. 
It  may  be  pronounced  as  u. 
Short  a  as  in  ahout  (German  Mann) — not  as  in  hat. 

e  as  in  set 

I  as  in  sit 

o  as  in  ohey  (N.  Eng.  coat) — not  as  in  cot. 

\i3i^m j)ull,  foot — not  as  in  hut. 
The  last  four  long  vowels  have  also  their  correspond- 
ing shorts,  but  since  these  rarely  occur,  it  has  not  been 
thought  worth  while  to  burden  the  scheme  with  extra 
characters  to  represent  them. 

The  diphthongs  are  combinations  of  one  of  these 
vowels,  heavily  stressed,  and  nearly  always  long  in 
quantity — which  makes  it  seem  to  us  exaggerated  or 
drawled — with  a  "  vanish"  of  short  i,  o,  (for  u),  or  a. 
ai  (^English  long  i,  y)  and  ao  (=English  ow)  are 
the  only  diphthongs  with  short  initial  element,  and  are 
to  be  distinguished  from  ai  and  do.  In  deference  to 
long  established  usage  in  maps  and  the  like,  ie  is  used 
in  this  volume  where  ia  would  be  the  consistent  spell- 
ing, and  oi  for  aim. 

A  word  remains  to  be  said  concerning  the  name  of 
the  people  among  whom  Dr.  McGilvary  spent  his  life. 
That  name  has  suffered  uncommonly  hard  usage,  espe- 
cially at  the  hands  of  Americans,  as  the  following  brief 
history  will  show.  Its  original  form  in  European 
writing  was  Lao,  a  fairly  accurate  transcription  by 
early  French  travellers  of  the  name  by  which  the 
Siamese  call  their  cousins  to  the  north  and  east.  The 
word  is  a  monosyllable  ending  in  a  diphthong  similar 
to  that  heard  in  the  proper  names  Macao,  Mindanao, 
Calldo.    In  French  writing  the  name  often  appeared 


14  NOTE  BY  THE  EDITOR 

in  the  plural  form,  les  Laos;  the  added  s,  however,  be- 
ing silent,  made  no  difference  with  the  pronunciation. 
This  written  plural,  then,  it  would  seem,  English- 
speaking  people  took  over  without  recognizing  the  fact 
that  it  was  only  plural,  and  made  it  their  standard 
form  for  all  uses,  singular  as  well  as  plural.  With 
characteristic  ignorance  or  disregard  of  its  proper  pro- 
nunciation, on  the  mere  basis  of  its  spelling,  they  have 
imposed  on  it  a  barbarous  pronunciation  of  their  own — 
Lay-OSS.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  usage  of  Amer- 
ican missionaries  has  been  most  effective  in  giving  cur- 
rency and  countenance  to  this  blunder — has  even  added 
to  it  the  further  blunder  of  using  it  as  the  name  of  the 
region  or  territory,  as  well  as  of  the  people.  But  the 
word  is  purely  ethnical — a  proper  adjective  like  our 
words  French  or  English,  and,  like  these,  capable  of 
substantive  use  in  naming  either  the  people  or  their 
language,  but  not  their  land.  Needless  to  say,  these 
errors  have  no  currency  whatever  among  European 
peoples  excepting  the  English,  and  they  have  very  little 
currency  in  England.  It  seems  high  time  for  us  of 
America  to  amend  not  only  our  false  pronunciation, 
but  our  false  usage,  and  the  false  spelling  upon  which 
these  rest.  In  accordance  with  the  scheme  of  spelling 
adopted  in  this  work,  the  a  of  the  name  Lao  is  marked 
with  the  macron  to  indicate  its  long  quantity  and 


Cornelius  Beach  Beadlby. 


Bebkblet,  California, 

December.  1911. 


CONTENTS 


I. 

Childhood  and  Youth 

19 

11. 

Ministerial  Training 

35 

III. 

Bangkok     

43 

IV. 

Pechabuki — The  Call  of  the  North 

63 

V. 

The  Charter  of  the  Lao  Mission   . 

66 

VI. 

Chikngmai 

.       77 

VII. 

Pioneer  Work 

84 

VIII. 

First-fruits 

.        95 

IX. 

Martyrdom 

102 

X. 

The  Royal  Commission 

118 

XL 

Death  of  Kawilorot 

130 

XII. 

The  New  Regime 

140 

XIII. 

Exploration 

160 

XIV. 

First  Furlough 

160 

XV. 

MuANG  Ken  and  Chieng  Dao 

169 

XVI. 

Seekers  After  God 

180 

XVIL 

The  Resident  Commissioner 

191 

XVIII. 

Witchcraft 

199 

XIX. 

The  Edict  of  Religious  Toleration 

207 

XX. 

Schools — The  Nine  Years'  Wanderer 

221 

XXI. 

Second  Furlough      .... 

236 

XXII. 

A  Surveying  Expedition 

244 

XXIII. 

Evangelistic  Training 

255 

XXIV. 

Struggle   with   the  Powers   of   Dark 

NESS 

266 

XXV. 

Christian  Communities  Planted     . 

276 

XXVI. 

A  Foothold  in  Lampun     . 

289 

15 

16  CONTENTS 

XXVII.     A  Peisonek  of  Jesus  Christ          .         .  300 

XXVIII.     Circuit  Tour  with  My  Daughter         .  308 
XXIX.     Lengthening  the  Cords  and  Strength- 
ening THE  Stakes         .         .         .         .320 

XXX.     Among  the  Muso  Villages — Famine     .  338 

XXXI.     Chieng  Rung  and  the  Sipsawng  Panna  353 
XXXII.     Third  Furlough — Station   at  Chieng 

Rai 370 

XXXIII.  The  Regions  Beyond     .         .         .         .386 

XXXIV.  The  Closed  Door 402 

XXXV.     Conclusion 413 

Index 431 


1869)  i" 


In  the  Harvest  Field     . 
Girls'  School  in  Chiengmai,  1892  . 
Rev.  Jonathan  Wilson,  D.D.,  1898 
First  Church  in  Chiengmai   . 
Dr.  McGilv art's  Home  in  Chiengmai 
Mrs.  McGilv  art,  1893       . 
Muso  People  and  Hut  near  Chieng  Rai     .         .     348 
17 


70 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Daniel  McGilvary  ....      Frontispiece 

FACING   PAGE 

William  J.  Bingham 30 

Maha  Monkut,  King  of  Siam,  1851-1872  .  .  48 
Pagoda  of  Wat  Cheng,  Bangkok  ...       56 

Rev.  Dan  Beach  Bradley,  M.D.,  1872  . 
Kawilorot,  Prince  of  Chiengmai  (about 
A  Rest  Between  Rapids  in  the  Gorge  of  the 

Me  Ping  River V       76 

Poling  up  the  Me  Ping  River 

Temple  of  the  Old  Tai  Style  of  Architecture, 

Chiengmai 82 

A  Cremation  Procession 146 

Interior  of  a  Temple,  Pre    ,         .         .         .         .158 

An  Abbot  Preaching       .         .         .         .         .         .188 

Intanon,  Prince  of  Chiengmai       ,         .         .        )      n^n 

Elder  Nan  Suwan ) 

Dr.  McGilvary,  1881 I     238 

Mrs.  McGilvary,  1881 ) 

Chulalongkorn,  King  of  Siam,  1872-1910  .  .  242 
Presbytery,  Returning  from  Meeting  in  Lakawn  264 
Market  Scene  in  Chiengmai  ,         .         .        ) 


274 


284 
294 

318 
332 


18  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGE 

Group  of  Yunnan  Lao 356 

Phya  Suka  Sih,  Siamese  High  Commissioner  fob 

THE  North 384 

His  Majesty,  Maha  Vajiravudh,  King  of  Siam  .  424 
Dr.    and    Mrs.  McGilvary,   Fifty   Years    after 

Their  Marriage 428 


Map  of  Northern  Siam  Showing  Mission  Stations     326 
Map  of  Siam 430 


CHILDHOOD  AND  YOUTH 

HEREDITY  and  early  environment  exercise  such 
a  determining  influence  in  forming  a  man's 
character  and  shaping  his  destiny  that,  with- 
out some  linowledge  of  these  as  a  clew,  his  after-life 
would  often  be  unintelligible.  And  beyond  these  there 
is  doubtless  a  current  of  events,  directing  the  course 
of  every  man's  life,  which  no  one  else  can  see  so  clearly 
as  the  man  himself.  In  the  following  review  of  my 
early  life,  I  have  confined  myself,  therefore,  to  those 
events  which  seem  to  have  led  me  to  my  life-work,  or 
to  have  prepared  me  for  it. 

By  race  I  am  a  Scotsman  of  Scotsmen.  My  father, 
Malcom  McGilvary,  was  a  Highland  lad,  born  in  the 
Isle  of  Skye,  and  inheriting  the  marked  characteristics 
of  his  race.  In  1789,  when  Malcom  was  eleven  years 
old,  my  grandfather  brought  his  family  to  the  United 
States,  and  established  himself  in  Moore  County,  North 
Carolina,  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Cape  Fear  River. 
The  McGilvarys  had  but  followed  in  the  wake  of  an 
earlier  immigration  of  Scottish  Highlanders,  whose 
descendants  to  this  day  form  a  large  proportion  of  the 
population  of  Moore,  Cumberland,  Richmond,  Robeson, 
and  other  counties  of  North  Carolina.  My  father's 
brothers  gradually  scattered,  one  going  to  the  south- 
western, and  two  to  the  northwestern  frontier.  My 
father,  being  the  youngest  of  the  family,  remained  with 
19 


20      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

his  parents  on  the  homestead.  The  country  was  then 
sparsely  settled;  communication  was  slow  and  uncer- 
tain. The  scattered  members  of  the  family  gradually 
lost  sight  of  one  another  and  of  the  home.  My  mother 
belonged  to  the  Mclver  clan — from  the  same  region  of 
the  Scottish  Highlands,  and  as  numerous  in  North 
Carolina  as  the  McGilvarys  were  scarce.  She  was 
born  in  this  country  not  long  after  the  arrival  of  her 
parents. 

I  was  born  May  16th,  1828,  being  the  youngest  of 
seven  children.  As  soon  after  my  birth  as  my  mother 
could  endure  the  removal,  she  was  taken  to  Fayette- 
ville,  thirty-five  miles  distant,  to  undergo  a  dangerous 
surgical  operation.  The  journey  was  a  trying  one. 
Anaesthetics  were  as  yet  unknown.  My  poor  mother 
did  not  long  survive  the  shock.  She  died  on  the  23d 
of  November  of  that  year. 

Since  feeding-bottles  were  not  then  in  use,  the 
motherless  infant  was  passed  around  to  the  care  of 
aunts  and  cousins,  who  had  children  of  like  age.  Two 
aunts  in  particular,  Catharine  Mclver  and  Margaret 
McNeill,  and  a  cousin,  EflSe  Mclver,  always  claimed  a 
share  in  me  for  their  motherly  ministrations  till,  at  last, 
I  could  be  turned  over  to  my  sister  Mary.  She,  though 
but  six  years  my  senior,  was  old  beyond  her  years ;  and 
the  motherly  care  with  which  she  watched  over  her  lit- 
tle charge  was  long  remembered  and  spoken  of  in  the 
family. 

When  I  was  four  years  old,  my  father  married  his 
second  wife.  Miss  Nancy  Mcintosh.  The  next  nine 
years,  till  my  father's  death,  June  8th,  1841,  were  spent 
in  the  uneventful  routine  of  a  godly  family  in  a  coun- 
try home.  My  father's  rigid  ideas  of  family  discipline 
were   inherited   from   his   Presbyterian    ancestors    in 


CHILDHOOD  AND  YOUTH  21 

Scotland,  and  his  own  piety  was  of  a  distinctly  old- 
school  type.  He  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  church  at 
Buffalo,  Fayetteville  Presbytery,  in  which  office  he  was 
succeeded  by  my  brother,  Evander,  and  three  others 
of  his  sons  became  elders  in  other  churches.  No 
pressure  of  business  was  ever  allowed  to  interfere  with 
family  worship  night  and  morning.  A  psalm  or  hymn 
from  the  old  village  hymnbook  always  formed  part 
of  the  service.  My  father  was  an  early  riser,  and,  in 
the  winter  time,  family  worship  was  often  over  before 
the  dawn.  Almost  every  spare  moment  of  his  time  he 
spent  in  reading  Scott's  Family  Bible,  the  Philadelphia 
Preshyteiian,  or  one  of  the  few  books  of  devotion  which 
composed  the  family  library.  The  special  treasure  of 
the  book-case  was  the  great  quarto  Illustrated  Family 
Bible,  with  the  Apocrypha  and  Brown's  Concordance, 
published  by  M.  Carey,  Philadelphia,  1815.  It  was  the 
only  pictorial  book  in  the  library,  and  its  pictures  were 
awe-inspiring  to  us  children — especially  those  in  the 
Book  of  Revelation : — The  Dragon  Chained,  The  Beast 
with  Seven  Heads  and  Ten  Horns,  and  the  Vision  of 
the  Four  Seals.  These  and  the  solemn  themes  of  Rus- 
sell's Seven  Sermons — which  on  rainy  days  I  used 
to  steal  away  by  myself  to  read — made  a  profound  im- 
pression on  me. 

Scottish  folk  always  carry  the  school  with  the  kirk. 
Free  schools  were  unknown;  but  after  the  crops  were 
"  laid  by,"  we  always  had  a  subscription  school,  in 
which  my  father,  with  his  large  family,  had  a  leading 
interest.  The  teacher  "  boarded  around "  with  the 
pupils.  Our  regular  night-task  was  three  questions 
and  answers  in  the  Shorter  Catechism — no  small  task 
for  boys  of  ten  or  twelve  years.  My  memory  of  the 
Catechism  once  stood  me  in  good  stead  in  after-life. 


22      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

When  examined  for  licensure  by  the  Orange  Pres- 
bytery, I  was  asked,  "  What  is  man's  state  by  nature  ?  " 
In  reply  I  gave  the  answers  to  the  nineteenth  and 
twentieth  questions  in  the  Catechism.  A  perceptible 
smile  passed  over  the  faces  of  many  of  the  presbyters, 
and  Father  Lynch  said,  "  He  is  right  on  the  Catechism. 
He  will  pass."  In  those  days  to  be  "  right  on  the 
Catechism  "  would  atone  for  many  failures  in  Hodge 
or  Turretin. 

The  church  was  at  the  village  of  Buffalo,  four  miles 
from  our  home,  but  no  one  of  the  family  was  expected 
to  be  absent  from  the  family  pew  on  "  the  Sabbath." 
Carriages  were  a  later  luxury  in  that  region.  Our  two 
horses  carried  father  and  mother,  with  the  youngest 
of  the  little  folks  mounted  behind,  till  he  should  be 
able  to  walk  with  the  rest. 

The  great  event  of  the  year  was  the  camp-meeting 
at  the  Fall  Communion.  It  served  as  an  epoch  from 
which  the  events  of  the  year  before  and  after  it  were 
dated.  For  weeks  before  it  came,  all  work  on  the 
farm  was  arranged  with  reference  to  "  Buffalo  Sacra- 
ment " — pronounced  with  long  a  in  the  first  syllable. 
It  was  accounted  nothing  for  people  to  come  fifteen, 
twenty,  or  even  forty  miles  to  the  meetings.  Every  pew- 
holder  had  a  tent,  and  kept  open  house.  No  stranger 
went  away  hungry.  Neighbouring  ministers  were  in- 
vited to  assist  the  pastor.  Services  began  on  Friday, 
and  closed  on  Monday,  unless  some  special  interest  sug- 
gested the  wisdom  of  protracting  them  further.  The 
regular  order  was:  A  sunrise  prayer-meeting,  break- 
fast, a  prayer-meeting  at  nine,  a  sermon  at  ten,  an  in- 
termission, and  then  another  sermon.  The  sermons 
were  not  accounted  of  much  worth  if  they  were  not  an 
hour  long.     The  pulpit  was  the  tall  old-fashioned  box- 


CHILDHOOD  AND  YOUTH  23 

pulpit  with  a  sounding-board  above.  For  want  of 
room  in  the  church,  the  two  sermons  on  Sunday  were 
preached  from  a  stand  in  the  open  air.  At  the  close 
of  the  second  sermon  the  ruling  elders,  stationed  in 
various  parts  of  the  congregation,  distributed  to  the 
communicants  the  "  tokens,"  ^  which  admitted  them 
to  the  sacramental  table.  Then,  in  solemn  procession, 
the  company  marched  up  the  rising  ground  to  the 
church,  singing  as  they  went : 

"  Children  of  the  Heavenly  King, 
As  ye  journey  sweetly  sing." 

It  was  a  beautiful  sight,  and  we  boys  used  to  climb  the 
hill  in  advance  to  see  it.  When  the  audience  was 
seated,  there  was  a  brief  introductory  exercise.  Then 
a  hymn  was  sung,  while  a  group  of  communicants  filled 
the  places  about  the  communion  table.  There  was 
an  address  by  one  of  the  ministers,  during  the  progress 
of  which  the  bread  and  the  wine  were  passed  to  the 
group  at  the  table.  Then  there  was  singing  again, 
while  the  first  group  retired,  and  a  second  group  took 
its  place.  The  same  ceremony  was  repeated  for  them, 
and  again  for  others,  until  all  communicants  present 
had  participated.  Th9  communion  service  must  have 
occupied  nearly  two  hours.  One  thing  I  remember 
well — when  the  children's  dinner-time  came  (which 
was  after  all  the  rest  had  dined),  the  sun  was  low  in 
the  heavens,  and  there  was  still  a  night  service  before 
us.  Notwithstanding  some  inward  rebellion,  it  seemed 
all  right  then.  But  the  same  thing  nowadays  would 
drive  all  the  young  people  out  of  the  church. 

*  The  "token"  was  a  thin  square  piece  of  lead  stamped  with  the 
Initial  letter  of  the  name  of  the  church. 


24      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

With  some  diffidence  I  venture  to  make  one  criti- 
cism on  our  home  life.  The  "  Sabbath "  was  too 
rigidly  observed  to  commend  itself  to  the  judgment  and 
conscience  of  children — too  rigidly,  perhaps,  for  the 
most  healthy  piety  in  adults.  It  is  hard  to  convince 
boys  that  to  whistle  on  Sunday,  even  though  the  tune 
be  "  Old  Hundred,"  is  a  sin  deserving  of  censure.  An 
afternoon  stroll  in  the  farm  or  the  orchard  might  even 
have  clarified  my  father's  vision  for  the  enjoyment  of 
his  Scott's  Bible  at  night.  It  would  surely  have  been 
a  means  of  grace  to  his  boys.  But  such  was  the  Scot- 
tish type  of  piety  of  those  days,  and  it  was  strongly 
held.  The  family  discipline  was  of  the  reserved  and 
dignified  type,  rather  than  of  the  affectionate.  Im- 
plicit obedience  was  the  law  for  children.  My  father 
loved  his  children,  but  never  descended  to  the  level 
of  familiarity  with  them  when  young,  and  could  not 
sympathize  with  their  sports. 

But  dark  days  were  coming.  Brother  John  Martin 
presently  married  and  moved  west.  In  August,  1840, 
an  infant  sister  died  of  quinsy — the  first  death  I  ever 
witnessed.  On  June  8th,  1841,  the  father  and  "  house- 
bond  "  of  the  family  was  taken  away.  The  inher- 
itance he  left  his  children  was  the  example  of  an  up- 
right, spotless  life — of  more  worth  than  a  legacy  of 
silver  and  gold.  These  we  might  have  squandered,  but 
that  was  inalienable. 

At  thirteen,  I  was  small  for  my  age — too  small  to  do 
a  man's  work  on  the  farm ;  and  there  was  no  money  with 
which  to  secure  for  me  an  education.  Just  then  oc- 
curred one  of  those  casual  incidents  which  often  deter- 
mine the  whole  course  of  one's  life.  Mr.  Roderick  Mc- 
intosh, one  of  my  mother's  cousins,  being  disabled  for 
hard  work  on  the  farm,  had  learned  the  tailor's  trade, 


CHILDHOOD  AND  YOUTH  25 

and  was  then  living  in  the  village  of  Pittsboro,  twenty- 
one  miles  away.  His  father  was  a  neighbour  of  ours, 
and  a  man  after  my  father's  own  heart.  The  two  fam- 
ilies had  thus  always  been  very  intimate.  While  the 
question  of  my  destiny  was  thus  in  the  balance,  this 
cousin,  one  day,  while  on  a  visit  to  his  father,  called  at 
our  house.  He  had  mounted  his  horse  to  leave,  when, 
turning  to  Evander,  he  asked,  "  What  is  Dan'l  going 
to  do  ?  "  My  brother  replied,  "  There  he  is ;  ask  him." 
Turning  to  me,  he  said,  "  Well,  Dan'l,  how  would  you 
like  to  come  and  live  with  me?  I  will  teach  you  a 
trade."  I  had  never  thought  of  such  a  thing,  nor  had 
it  ever  been  mentioned  in  the  family.  But  somehow  it 
struck  me  favourably.  Instinctively  I  replied,  "  I  be- 
lieve I  should  like  it."  A  life-question  could  not  have 
been  settled  more  fortuitously.  But  it  was  the  first 
step  on  the  way  to  Siam  and  the  Lao  Mission. 

On  the  last  day  of  August,  1841,  I  bade  farewell 
to  the  old  home,  with  all  its  pleasant  associations. 
Every  spot  of  it  was  dear,  but  never  so  dear  as  then. 
Accompanied  by  my  brother  Evander,  each  of  us  riding 
one  of  the  old  family  horses,  I  started  out  for  my  new 
home.  The  departure  was  not  utterly  forlorn,  since 
Evander  was  still  with  me.  But  the  parting  from  him, 
as  he  started  back  next  day,  was  probably  the  hard- 
est thing  I  had  ever  experienced.  I  had  to  seek  a 
quiet  place  and  give  vent  to  a  flood  of  tears.  For  a 
time  I  was  inexpressibly  sad.  I  realized,  as  never  be- 
fore, that  I  was  cut  loose  from  the  old  moorings — was 
alone  in  the  world.  But  the  sorrows  of  youth  are  soon 
assuaged.  No  one  could  have  received  a  warmer  wel- 
come in  the  new  home  than  I  did.  There  were  two 
children  in  the  family,  and  they  helped  to  fill  the  void 
made  by  the  separation. 


26      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

Pittsboro  was  not  a  large  village,  but  its  outlook  was 
broader  than  that  of  my  home.  The  world  seemed 
larger.  I  myself  felt  larger  than  I  had  done  as  a 
country  boy.  I  heard  discussion  of  politics  and  of  the 
questions  of  the  day.  The  county  was  strongly  Whig, 
but  Mr.  Mcintosh  was  an  unyielding  Democrat,  and  as 
fond  of  argument  as  a  politician.  According  to  south- 
ern custom,  stores  and  shops  were  favourite  resorts  for 
passing  away  idle  time,  and  for  sharpening  the  wits  of 
the  villagers.  The  recent  Presidential  campaign  of 
1840  furnished  unending  themes  for  discussion  in  our 
little  shop. 

There  was  no  Presbyterian  church  in  Pittsboro  at 
that  time.  The  church-going  population  was  divided 
between  the  Methodist  and  the  Episcopalian  churches, 
the  former  being  the  larger.  With  my  cousin's  family 
I  attended  the  Methodist  church.  On  my  first  Sunday 
I  joined  the  Methodist  Sunday  School,  and  that  school 
was  the  next  important  link  in  my  chain  of  life.  Its 
special  feature  was  a  system  of  prizes.  A  certain  num- 
ber of  perfect  answers  secured  a  blue  ticket ;  ten  of  these 
brought  a  yellow  ticket;  and  yellow  tickets,  according 
to  the  number  of  them,  entitled  the  possessor  to  various 
prizes — a  hymnbook,  a  Bible,  or  the  like.  On  the 
first  Sunday  I  was  put  into  a  class  of  boys  of  my 
own  age,  at  work  on  a  little  primer  of  one  hundred 
and  six  questions,  all  answered  in  monosyllables.  By 
the  next  Sunday  I  was  able  to  recite  the  whole,  to- 
gether with  the  Lord's  Prayer  and  the  Apostles'  Creed 
at  the  end.  It  was  no  great  feat ;  but  the  teacher  and 
the  school  thought  it  was.  So,  on  the  strength  of 
my  very  first  lesson,  I  got  a  yellow  ticket,  and  was 
promoted  to  the  next  higher  class.  That  stimulated 
my  ambition,  and  I  devoted  my  every  spare  hour  to 


CHILDHOOD  AND  YOUTH  27 

study.  The  next  book  was  one  of  questions  and  an- 
swers on  the  four  Gospels.  They  were  very  easy;  I 
was  able  to  commit  to  memory  several  hundred  answers 
during  the  week.  In  a  few  Sundays  I  got  my  first 
prize;  and  it  was  not  long  before  I  had  secured  all  the 
prizes  offered  in  the  school.  What  was  of  far  more 
value  than  the  prizes  was  the  greater  love  for  study 
and  for  the  Scriptures  which  the  effort  had  awakened 
in  me,  and  a  desire  for  an  education.  The  shop  was 
often  idle;  I  had  plenty  of  time  for  study,  and  made 
the  most  of  it. 

At  one  of  the  subsequent  Quarterly  Meetings,  a  Rev. 
Mr.  Brainard,  who  had  considerable  reputation  as  a 
revivalist,  preached  one  Sunday  night  a  vivid  and 
thrilling  sermon  on  Noah's  Ark  and  the  Flood.  So 
marked  was  the  impression  on  the  audience,  that,  at 
the  close,  according  to  the  Methodist  custom,  "  mourn- 
ers "  were  invited  to  the  altar.  Many  accepted  the  in- 
vitation. A  young  friend  sitting  beside  me  was  greatly 
affected.  With  streaming  eyes  he  said,  "  Dan'l,  let  us 
go,  too,"  rising  up  and  starting  as  he  spoke.  After 
a  few  moments  I  followed.  By  this  time  the  space 
about  the  altar  was  well  filled.  There  was  great  excite- 
ment and  no  little  confusion — exhortation,  singing,  and 
prayer  going  on  all  at  once.  A  number  of  persons 
made  profession  of  religion,  and  soon  my  young  friend 
joined  them.  He  was  full  of  joy,  and  was  surprised 
to  find  that  I  was  not  so,  too.  The  meetings  were  con- 
tinued night  after  night,  and  each  night  I  went  to  the 
altar.  As  I  look  back  upon  it  from  this  distance,  it 
seems  to  me  that,  with  much  exhortation  to  repent 
and  believe,  there  was  not  enough  of  clear  and  definite 
instruction  regarding  the  plan  of  salvation,  or  the  of- 
fices and  work  of  Christ.     One  night,  in  a  quiet  hour 


28     AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

at  home,  the  grounds  and  method  of  a  sinner's  ac- 
ceptance of  Christ  became  clear  to  me,  and  He  became 
my  Lord, 

Soon  after,  when  invitation  was  given  to  the  new  con- 
verts to  join  the  church  as  probationers,  I  was  urged 
by  some  good  friends  to  join  with  the  rest;  and  was 
myself  not  a  little  inclined  to  do  so.  It  was  no  doubt 
the  influence  of  my  cousin  that  enabled  me  to  with- 
stand the  excitement  of  the  revival  and  the  gentle 
pressure  of  my  Methodist  friends,  and  to  join,  instead, 
my  father's  old  church  at  Buffalo.  But  I  owe  more 
than  I  shall  ever  know  to  that  Sunday  School,  and 
since  then  I  have  always  loved  the  Methodist  Church. 
Meanwhile  the  prospects  for  an  education  grew  no 
brighter,  though  Mr.  Brantley,  then  a  young  graduate 
in  charge  of  the  Pittsboro  Academy,  but  afterward  a 
distinguished  Baptist  minister  of  Philadelphia,  gave 
me  a  place  in  his  school  at  idle  times ;  and  a  Dr.  Hall 
used  to  lend  me  books  to  read. 

When  the  opportunity  for  acquiring  an  education 
finally  came,  it  was  as  unexpected  as  a  clap  of  thun- 
der out  of  a  blue  sky.  The  celebrated  Bingham  School, 
now  in  Asheville,  North  Carolina,  was  then,  as  now,  the 
most  noted  in  the  South.  It  was  started  by  Rev.  Will- 
iam Bingham  in  Pittsboro,  North  Carolina,  in  the 
closing  years  of  the  eighteenth  century.  It  was  moved 
to  Hillsboro  by  his  son,  the  late  William  J.  Bingham, 
father  of  the  present  Principal.  The  school  was 
patronized  by  the  leading  families  of  the  South.  The 
number  of  pupils  was  strictly  limited.  To  secure  a 
place,  application  had  to  be  made  a  year  or  more  in 
advance. 

My  surprise,  therefore,  can  well  be  imagined,  when 
one  day  Baccus  King,  a  young  boy  of  the  town,  walked 


CHILDHOOD  AND  YOUTH  29 

into  the  shop  with  a  letter  addressed  to  Master  Daniel 
McGilvary  from  no  less  a  personage  than  William  J. 
Bingham,  the  great  teacher  and  Principal.  At  first  I 
thought  I  was  the  victim  of  some  boyish  trick.  But 
there  was  the  signature,  and  the  explanation  that  fol- 
lowed removed  all  doubt.  Nathan  Stedman,  an  in- 
fluential citizen  of  Pittsboro,  was  an  early  acquaintance 
and  friend  of  Mr.  Bingham.  He  had  visited  the  school 
in  person  to  secure  a  place  for  his  nephew,  young 
King,  and  had  brought  back  with  him  the  letter  for 
me.  What  Mr.  Bingham  knew  of  me  I  never  dis- 
covered. No  doubt  Mr.  Stedman  could  have  told, 
though  up  to  that  time  I  had  never  more  than  spoken 
with  him.  Be  that  as  it  may,  there  was  the  letter 
with  its  most  generous  offer  that  I  take  a  course  in 
Bingham  School  at  the  Principal's  expense.  He  was 
to  board  me  and  furnish  all  necessary  expenses,  which, 
after  graduation,  I  was  to  refund  by  teaching.  If  I 
became  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  the  tuition  was  to  be 
free;  otherwise  I  was  to  refund  that  also.  To  young 
King's  enquiry  what  I  would  do,  I  replied,  ^'  Of  course, 
I  shall  go."  My  cousin,  Mr.  Mcintosh,  was  scarcely 
less  delighted  than  I  was  at  the  unexpected  opening. 
The  invitation  to  attend  Bingham  School  came  in 
the  fall  of  1845,  when  I  was  in  my  eighteenth  year. 
There  were  then  only  two  weeks  till  the  school  should 
open.  I  had  little  preparation  to  make.  A  pine  box 
painted  red  was  soon  got  ready  to  serve  as  a  trunk,  for 
my  wardrobe  was  by  no  means  elaborate.  Mr.  Sted- 
man kindly  offered  me  a  seat  with  Baccus  and  a  friend 
of  his  who  was  returning  to  the  school.  On  the  way 
Baccus'  friend  entertained  us  with  stories  of  the  rigid 
discipline,  for  this  was  in  the  days  when  the  rod  was 
not  spared.     I  had  no  fears  of  the  rod,  but  I  trembled 


30      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

lest  I  should  not  sustain  myself  as  well  as  such  great 
kindness  demanded.  It  might  be  a  very  different  thing 
from  winning  a  reputation  in  a  Methodist  Sunday 
School. 

It  was  dusk  when  we  reached  The  Oaks.  The  fam- 
ily was  at  supper.  Mr.  Bingham  came  out  to  receive 
us.  He  told  Baccus'  friend  to  take  him  to  his  own  old 
quarters,  and,  turning  to  me,  said,  "  I  have  made  ar- 
rangements for  you  to  board  with  Mr.  C,  and  to  room 
with  Mr.  K.,  the  assistant  teacher,  till  my  house  is  fin- 
ished, when  you  are  to  live  with  us.  But  we  are  at 
supper  now.  You  must  be  hungry  after  your  long 
ride.  Come  in  and  eat  with  us."  After  supper,  Mr. 
Bingham  went  with  me  to  my  boarding-house,  and 
introduced  me  to  my  hosts  and  to  my  chum,  David 
Kerr.  He  welcomed  me,  and  said  he  thought  we 
should  get  along  finely  together.  We  not  only  did 
that,  but  he  became  a  warm  friend  to  whom  I  owed 
much.  So  I  was  in  the  great  Bingham  School,  over- 
whelmed with  a  succession  of  unexpected  kindnesses 
from  so  many  quarters !     What  did  it  all  mean? 

My  highest  anticipations  of  the  school  were  realized. 
If  there  ever  was  a  born  teacher,  William  J.  Bingham 
was  one.  Latin  and  Greek  were  taught  then  by  a 
method  very  different  from  the  modern  one.  Before  a 
sentence  was  read  or  translated,  the  invariable  direc- 
tion was — master  your  grammar.  In  grammar-drill 
Mr.  Bingham  could  have  no  superior.  Bullion's 
Grammars  and  Readers  were  the  text-books.  The  prin- 
cipal definitions  were  learned  practically  verbatim. 
The  coarse  print  was  required  of  all  in  the  class.  The 
older  pupils  were  advised  to  learn  notes,  exceptions, 
and  all.  I  never  became  so  familiar  with  any  other 
books  as  with  that  series  of  grammars.     We  were  ex- 


WILLIAM    J.    BINGHAM 


CHILDHOOD  AND  YOUTH  31 

pected  to  decline  every  noun  and  adjective,  alone  or 
combined,  from  nominative  singular  to  ablative  plural, 
backwards  or  forwards,  and  to  give,  at  a  nod,  voice, 
mood,  tense,  number,  and  person  of  any  verb  in  the 
lesson.  These  exercises  became  at  last  so  easy  that 
they  were  great  fun.  Even  now,  sixty  years  later,  I 
often  put  myself  to  sleep  by  repeating  the  old  para- 
digms. 

It  may  seem  that  my  estimate  of  Mr.  Bingham  is 
prejudiced  by  my  sense  of  personal  obligation  to  him 
for  his  kindness.  Yet  I  doubt  not  that  the  universal 
verdict  of  every  one  who  went  there  to  study  would 
be  that  he  should  be  rated  as  one  of  the  world's 
greatest  teachers.  The  South  owes  much  to  him  for 
the  dignity  he  gave  to  the  profession  of  teaching.  No 
man  ever  left  a  deeper  impress  on  me.  Thousands  of 
times  I  have  thanked  the  Lord  for  the  opportunity  to 
attend  his  school. 

I  was  graduated  from  the  school  in  May,  1849,  a  few 
days  before  I  was  twenty-one  years  old.  On  leaving 
my  kind  friends  at  The  Oaks,  I  was  again  at  sea.  It 
will  be  remembered  that,  by  my  original  agreement,  I 
was  booked  for  teaching — but  I  had  no  idea  where. 
Once  more  the  unexpected  happened.  In  the  midst 
of  negotiations  for  a  school  in  the  southern  part  of 
the  state,  I  was  greatly  surprised  at  receiving  an  offer 
from  one  of  the  prominent  business  men  of  my  own 
town,  Pittsboro,  to  assist  me  in  organizing  a  new 
school  of  my  own  there.  With  much  doubt  and  hesita- 
tion on  my  part — for  there  were  already  two  prepara- 
tory schools  in  the  place — the  venture  was  made,  and 
I  began  with  ten  pupils  taught  in  a  little  business  of- 
fice. The  number  was  considerably  increased  during 
the  year.     But  when  the  second  year  opened,  I  was  put 


32      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

in  charge  of  the  Academy,  whose  Principal  had  re- 
signed. Here,  in  work  both  pleasant  and  fairly  profit- 
able, I  remained  until  the  four  years  for  which  I  had 
agreed  to  stay  were  up. 

I  had  by  no  means  reached  my  ideal.  But,  as  my 
friends  had  predicted,  it  had  been  a  success.  Some 
of  my  warmest  supporters  were  sure  that  I  was  giv- 
ing up  a  certainty  for  an  uncertainty,  in  not  making 
teaching  my  life-work.  It  had  evidently  been  the 
hope  of  my  friends  from  the  first  that  I  would  make 
Pittsboro  my  home,  and  build  up  a  large  and  perma- 
nent school  there.  But  my  purpose  of  studying  for 
the  ministry  had  never  wavered,  and  that  made  it 
easier  for  me  to  break  off. 

During  these  four  years  my  relations  with  the  newly 
organized  Presbyterian  church  had  been  most  pleas- 
ant and  profitable.  There  was  no  resisting  the  appeal 
that  I  should  become  ruling  elder.  The  superintend- 
ency  of  the  Sunday  School  also  fell  naturally  to  me, 
and  opened  up  another  field  of  usefulness.  The  friend- 
ship formed  with  the  pastor,  the  Rev.  J.  H.  McNeill, 
is  one  of  the  pleasant  memories  of  my  life. 

One  feature  of  the  church  connection  must  not  be 
passed  over.  Neither  of  the  other  elders  was  so  cir- 
cumstanced as  to  be  able  to  attend  the  meetings  of  the 
Orange  Presbytery.  Three  of  the  leading  professors 
in  the  University  were  members  of  the  Presbytery,  and 
all  the  leading  schools  within  its  bounds  were  taught 
by  Presbyterian  ministers  or  elders.  To  accommodate 
this  large  group  of  teachers,  the. meetings  were  held  in 
midsummer  and  midwinter.  Thus  it  fell  to  my  lot  to 
represent  the  Pittsboro  church  at  the  Presbytery  dur- 
ing nearly  the  whole  of  the  four  years  of  my  stay  in 
Pittsboro.     As  it  was  then  constituted,  its  meetings 


CHILDHOOD  AND  YOUTH  33 

were  almost  equal  to  a  course  in  church  government. 
The  Rev.  J.  Doll,  one  of  the  best  of  parliamentarians, 
was  stated  clerk.  A  group  of  members  such  as  the 
two  Drs.  Phillips,  father  and  son,  Dr.  Elisha  Mitchell, 
of  the  University,  and  many  others  that  could  be 
named,  would  have  made  any  assembly  noted.  Pro- 
fessor Charles  Phillips,  as  chairman  of  the  committee 
on  candidates  for  the  ministry,  came  into  closer  touch 
with  me  than  most  of  the  others.  He  afterwards  fol- 
lowed my  course  in  the  Seminary  with  an  interest 
ripening  into  a  friendship  which  continued  throughout 
his  life. 

The  meetings  of  the  Presbytery  were  not  then 
merely  formal  business  meetings.  They  began  on 
Wednesday  and  closed  on  Monday.  They  were  looked 
forward  to  by  the  church  in  which  they  were  to  be 
held  as  spiritual  and  intellectual  feasts.  To  the  mem- 
bers themselves  they  were  seasons  of  reunion,  where 
friendships  were  cemented,  and  where  wits  were  sharp- 
ened by  intellectual  conflicts,  often  before  crowded  con- 
gregations. 

Union  Seminary,  now  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  has 
always  been  under  the  direction  of  the  Synods  of  North 
Carolina  and  Virginia;  and  there  were  strong  reasons 
why  students  from  those  Synods  should  study  there. 
They  were  always  reminded  of  that  obligation.  But 
the  high  reputation  of  Drs.  Hodge  and  Alexander  was 
a  strong  attraction  toward  Princeton.  My  pastor  and 
Professor  Phillips,  chairman  of  the  committee  in  charge 
of  me,  had  both  studied  there.  So  I  was  allowed 
to  have  my  preference.  No  doubt  this  proved  another 
stepping-stone  to  Siam.  Union  Seminary  was  not  then 
enthusiastic  in  regard  to  foreign  missions,  as  it  has 
since    become.    At    the    last    meeting    of    Presbytery 


34      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

that  I  was  to  attend,  Dr.  Alexander  Wilson  moved  that, 
inasmuch  as  Orange  Presbytery  owned  a  scholarship  in 
Princeton  Seminary,  I  be  assigned  to  it.  To  my  ob- 
jection that  I  had  made  money  to  pay  my  own  way, 
he  replied,  "  You  will  have  plenty  of  need  of  your 
money.  You  can  buy  books  with  it."  I  followed  the 
suggestion  and  laid  in  a  good  library. 


II 

MINISTERIAL  TRAINING 

I  ENTERED  Princeton  Seminary  in  the  fall  of 
1853.  I  did  not  lodge  in  the  Seminary  building, 
but,  through  the  kindness  of  Rev.  Daniel 
Derouelle — whom,  as  agent  of  the  American  Bible  So- 
ciety, I  had  come  to  know  during  his  visits  to  Pitts- 
boro — I  found  a  charming  home  in  his  family.  There 
were,  of  course,  some  disadvantages  in  living  a  mile 
and  a  half  away  from  the  Seminary.  I  could  not  have 
the  same  intimate  relations  with  my  fellow  students 
which  I  might  have  had  if  lodged  in  the  Seminary. 
But  I  had  the  delightful  home-life  which  most  of  them 
missed  altogether.  And  the  compulsory  exercise  of 
two,  or  sometimes  three,  trips  a  day,  helped  to  keep 
me  in  health  throughout  my  course.  I  became,  indeed, 
a  first-rate  walker — an  accomplishment  which  has  since 
Btood  me  in  good  stead  in  all  my  life  abroad. 

Being  from  the  South,  and  not  a  college  graduate,  as 
were  most  of  the  students,  I  felt  lonesome  enough 
when,  on  the  first  morning  of  the  session,  I  entered 
the  Oratory  and  looked  about  me  without  discovering 
a  single  face  that  I  knew.  But  at  the  close  of  the 
lecture  some  one  who  had  been  told  by  a  friend  to  look 
out  for  me,  touched  me  on  the  shoulder,  made  himself 
known,  and  then  took  me  off  to  introduce  me  to  J. 
Aspinwall  Hodge,  who  was  to  be  a  classmate  of  mine. 
No  man  ever  had  a  purer  or  a  better  friend  than  this 
85 


36      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

young  man,  afterward  Dr.  J.  Aspinwall  Hodge;  and 
I  never  met  a  friend  more  opportunely. 

Of  our  revered  teachers  and  of  the  studies  of  the 
Seminary  course  there  is  no  need  to  speak  here.  Our 
class  was  a  strong  one.  Among  its  members  were  such 
men  as  Gayley,  Mills,  Jonathan  Wilson,  Nixon,  Lefevre, 
and  Chaney.  Of  these  Gayley  and  Mills  were  already 
candidates  for  missionary  work  abroad.  In  other 
classes  were  Robert  McMullen  and  Isidore  Loewen- 
thal,  destined  to  become  martyrs  in  Cawnpore  and 
Peshawur.  Many  were  the  stirring  appeals  we  heard 
from  these  men.  Dr.  Charles  Hodge,  too,  had  given  a 
son  to  India ;  and  he  never  spoke  more  impressively 
than  when  he  was  pleading  the  cause  of  foreign  mis- 
sions. Princeton,  moreover,  because  of  its  proximity 
to  New  York  and  to  the  headquarters  of  the  various 
missionary  societies  established  there,  was  a  favourite 
field  for  the  visits  of  the  Secretaries  of  these  organi- 
zations, and  of  returned  missionaries.  A  notable  visit 
during  my  first  year  was  that  of  Dr.  Alexander  Duff, 
then  in  his  prime.  No  one  who  heard  him  could  forget 
his  scathing  criticism  of  the  church  for  "  playing  at 
missions,"  or  his  impassioned  appeals  for  labourers. 

So  the  question  was  kept  constantly  before  me.  But 
during  the  first  two  years,  the  difficulty  of  the  ac- 
quisition of  a  foreign  language  by  a  person  not  gifted  in 
his  own,  seemed  an  obstacle  well-nigh  insuperable. 
Conscience  suggested  a  compromise.  Within  the  field 
of  Home  Missions  was  there  not  equal  need  of  men 
to  bring  the  bread  of  life  to  those  who  were  perishing 
without  it?  With  the  object  of  finding  some  such  op- 
portunity, I  spent  my  last  vacation,  in  the  summer  of 
1855,  in  Texas  as  agent  of  the  American  Sunday  School 
Union. 


MINISTERIAL  TRAINING  37 

Texas  afforded,  indeed,  great  opportunities  for  Chris- 
tian work;  but  in  the  one  object  of  my  quest — a  field 
where  Christ  was  not  preached — I  was  disappointed. 
In  every  small  village  there  was  already  a  church — 
often  more  than  one.  Even  in  country  schoolhouses 
Methodists,  Baptists,  and  Cumberland  Presbyterians 
had  regular  Sunday  appointments,  each  having  ac- 
quired claim  to  a  particular  Sunday  of  the  month. 
Conditions  were  such  that  the  growth  of  one  sect  usu- 
ally meant  a  corresponding  weakening  of  the  others. 
It  was  possible,  of  course,  to  find  local  exceptions. 
But  it  is  easier  even  now  to  find  villages  by  the  hun- 
dred, with  three,  four,  and  even  five  Protestant 
churches,  aided  by  various  missionary  societies ;  where 
all  the  inhabitants,  working  together,  could  do  no  more 
than  support  one  church  well.  This  may  be  neces- 
sary; but  it  is  surely  a  great  waste. 

From  this  trip  I  had  just  returned  with  these 
thoughts  in  my  mind,  and  was  entering  upon  my  senior 
year,  when  it  was  announced  that  Dr.  S.  R.  House,  a 
missionary  from  Siam,  would  address  the  students. 
Expectation  was  on  tiptoe  to  hear  from  this  new 
kingdom  of  Siam.  The  address  was  a  revelation  to  us 
all.  The  opening  of  the  kingdom  to  American  mis- 
sionaries by  the  reigning  monarch,  Maha  Mongkut — 
now  an  old  story — was  new  then,  and  sounded  like  a 
veritable  romance.  My  hesitation  was  ended.  Here 
was  not  merely  a  village  or  a  parish,  but  a  whole 
kingdom,  just  waking  from  its  long,  dark,  hopeless 
sleep.  Every  sermon  I  preached  there  might  be  to 
those  who  had  never  heard  that  there  is  a  God  in  heaven 
who  made  them,  or  a  Saviour  from  sin. 

The  appeal  was  for  volunteers  to  go  at  once.  None, 
however,  of  the  men  who  had  announced  themselves  as 


38     AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

candidates  for  service  abroad  were  available  for  Siam. 
They  were  all  pledged  to  other  fields.  The  call  found 
Jonathan  Wilson  and  myself  in  much  the  same  state 
of  expectancy,  waiting  for  a  clear  revelation  of  duty. 
After  anxious  consultation  and  prayer  together,  and 
with  Dr.  House,  we  promised  him  that  we  would  give 
the  matter  our  most  serious  thought.  If  the  Lord 
should  lead  us  thither,  we  would  go. 

Meanwhile  the  Rev.  Andrew  B.  Morse  had  been  ap- 
pointed a  missionary  to  Siam,  and  the  immediate 
urgency  of  the  case  was  thus  lightened.  Shortly  be- 
fore the  close  of  my  Seminary  course,  in  1856,  there 
came  to  me  a  call  to  the  pastorate  of  two  contiguous 
churches,  those  of  Carthage  and  of  Union,  in  my  native 
county  in  North  Carolina.  The  call  seemed  a  provi- 
dential one,  and  I  accepted  it  for  one  year  only.  My 
classmate,  Wilson,  soon  after  accepted  a  call  to  work 
among  the  Indians  in  Spencer  Academy. 

My  parish  was  an  admirable  one  for  the  training  of 
a  young  man.  The  church  at  Union  was  one  of  the 
oldest  in  the  state.  The  church  at  Carthage,  five 
miles  away,  was  a  colony  from  Union.  No  distinct 
geographical  line  separated  the  two.  Many  of  the 
people  regularly  attended  both.  That,  of  course,  made 
the  work  harder  for  a  young  pastor.  The  extreme 
limits  of  the  two  parishes  were  fifteen  miles  apart. 
But  these  were  church-going  folk,  mostly  of  Scottish 
descent — not  "  dry-weather  Christians."  The  pastor- 
ate had  been  vacant  a  whole  year. 

At  the  first  morning  service  the  church  was  crowded 
to  its  utmost  capacity.  Some  came,  no  doubt,  from 
curiosity  to  hear  the  new  preacher;  but  most  of  them 
were  hungry  for  the  Gospel.  They  had  all  known 
my  father;  and  some  had  known  me — or  known  of  me 


MINISTERIAL  TRAINING  39 

— from  boyhood.  I  could  not  have  had  a  more  sym- 
pathetic audience,  as  I  learned  from  the  words  of  ap- 
preciation and  encouragement  spoken  to  me  after 
church — especially  those  spoken  by  my  brother,  who 
was  present. 

The  year  passed  rapidly.  The  work  had  prospered 
and  was  delightful.  In  it  I  formed  the  taste  for 
evangelistic  touring,  which  was  afterwards  to  be  my 
work  among  the  Lao.  There  had  been  a  number  of 
accessions  in  both  churches.  It  was  easy  to  become 
engrossed  in  one's  first  charge  among  a  people  so  sym- 
pathetic, and  to  overlook  far-away  Siam.  Indeed,  I 
had  become  so  far  influenced  by  present  surround- 
ings as  to  allow  my  name  to  be  laid  before  a  meet- 
ing of  the  congregation  with  a  view  to  becoming  their 
permanent  pastor.  Their  choice  of  me  was  unanimous. 
Moreover,  I  had  been  dismissed  from  my  old  Pres- 
bytery to  the  one  within  whose  bounds  my  parish 
was.  The  regular  meeting  of  the  latter  was  not  far 
off,  when  arrangements  were  to  be  made  for  my  ordina- 
tion and  installation. 

As  the  time  drew  near,  do  what  I  might,  my  joy 
in  accepting  the  call  seemed  marred  by  the  thought 
of  Siam.  I  learned  that  the  Siamese  Mission,  in- 
stead of  growing  stronger,  was  becoming  weaker.  Mr. 
Morse's  health  had  completely  broken  down  during 
his  first  year  in  the  field.  He  was  then  returning  to 
the  United  States.  Mrs.  Mattoon  had  already  come 
back  an  invalid.  Her  husband,  after  ten  years  in 
Siam,  was  greatly  in  need  of  a  change;  but  was 
holding  on  in  desperation,  hoping  against  hope  that 
he  might  be  relieved. 

The  question  of  my  going  to  Siam,  which  had  been 
left  an  open  one,  must  now  soon  be  settled  by  my  ac- 


40      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

cepting  or  declining.  I  needed  counsel,  but  knew  not 
on  what  earthly  source  to  call.  When  the  question  of 
Siam  first  came  up  in  Princeton,  I  had  written  to  lead- 
ing members  of  the  Orange  Presbytery  for  advice,  stat- 
ing the  claims  of  Siam  so  strongly  that  I  was  sure 
these  men  would  at  least  give  me  some  encouragement 
toward  going.  But  the  reply  I  had  from  one  of  them 
was  typical  of  all  the  rest :  "  We  do  not  know  about 
Siam;  but  we  do  know  of  such  and  such  a  church 
and  of  such  and  such  a  field  vacant  here  in  Orange 
Presbytery.  Still,  of  course,  it  may  be  your  duty  to 
go  to  Siam."  In  that  quarter,  surely,  there  was  no 
light  for  me.  So  I  devoted  Saturday,  August  1st,  to 
fasting  and  prayer  for  guidance.  In  the  woods  back 
of  the  Carthage  church  and  the  Academy,  the  decision 
was  finally  reached.     I  would  go. 

Next  morning  I  stopped  my  chief  elder  on  his  way 
to  church,  and  informed  him  of  my  decision.  After 
listening  to  my  statement  of  the  case,  he  replied,  "  Of 
course,  if  it  is  settled,  there's  nothing  more  to  be  said." 
It  chanced  that  Mr.  Russell,  my  former  assistant  in 
the  Pittsboro  Academy,  had  just  finished  his  theo- 
logical course;  and,  wholly  without  reference  to  the 
question  pending  in  my  mind,  had  arranged  to  preach 
for  me  that  day.  The  session  was  called  together  be- 
fore service,  was  notified  of  my  decision,  and  was  re- 
minded that  the  preacher  of  the  day  would  be  avail- 
able as  a  successor  to  me.  He  preached  a  good  ser- 
mon, had  a  conference  with  the  session  afterwards,  and 
was  virtually  engaged  that  day.  The  following  week 
brought  notice  of  my  appointment  as  missionary  to 
Siam. 

The  last  communion  season  of  that  year  was  one  of 
more   than   usual   interest.    The   meetings   began   on 


MINISTERIAL  TRAINING  41 

Friday.  Since  the  minds  of  the  congregation  were 
already  on  the  subject  of  foreign  missions,  and  since 
Dr.  McKay,  from  my  home  church,  had  been  appointed 
by  the  Synod  to  preach  on  that  subject  at  its  coming 
session  in  Charlotte,  I  prevailed  upon  him  to  preach 
to  us  the  sermon  that  he  had  prepared.  The  text  was 
from  Romans  x:14,  "How  shall  they  hear  without  a 
preacher?"  No  subject  could  have  been  more  ap- 
propriate to  the  occasion.  It  produced  a  profound 
impression.     Some  were  affected  to  tears. 

The  sermon  was  a  good  preparation  for  the  com- 
munion service  that  followed.  At  the  night  service 
there  was  deep  seriousness  throughout  the  congrega- 
tion, and  a  general  desire  to  have  the  meetings  con- 
tinued. On  Monday  there  was  an  unexpectedly  large 
congregation.  At  the  busiest  season  of  the  year  farm- 
ers had  left  their  crops  to  come.  The  meetings  soon 
grew  to  be  one  protracted  prayer-meeting,  with  occa- 
sional short  applications  of  Scripture  to  the  questions 
which  were  already  pressing  upon  our  minds. 

Finally,  after  the  meetings  had  been  continued  from 
Friday  until  Wednesday  week,  they  were  reluctantly 
brought  to  a  close;  both  because  it  seemed  unwise  to 
interrupt  longer  the  regular  life  of  the  community, 
and  also  because  the  leaders  no  longer  had  the  voice 
to  carry  them  on.  As  a  result  of  the  meetings,  there 
were  about  eighty  accessions  to  the  two  Presbyterian 
churches,  as  well  as  a  number  to  other  churches.  Many 
asked  if  I  did  not  see  in  the  revival  reason  to  change 
my  mind  and  remain.  But  the  effect  on  me  was  just 
the  opposite.  It  was  surely  the  best  preparation  I 
could  have  had  for  the  long  test  of  faith  while  waiting 
for  results  in  Siam. 

Inasmuch  as  my  certificate  of  dismissal  had  never 


42      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

been  formally  presented  to  the  Fayetteville  Presbytery, 
I  preferred  to  return  it  to  my  old  Orange  Presbytery, 
and  to  receive  my  ordination  at  its  hands.  On  De- 
cember 11th,  the  Presbytery  met  at  my  old  home  in 
Pittsboro.  The  installation  of  a  foreign  missionary 
was  new  to  the  Presbytery,  as  well  as  to  the  church 
and  the  community.  When  the  ordaining  prayer  was 
ended,  there  seemed  to  be  but  few  dry  eyes  in  the  con- 
gregation. It  was  a  day  I  had  little  dreamed  of  six- 
teen years  before,  when  I  first  came  to  Pittsboro  an 
orphan  boy  and  an  apprentice.  I  felt  very  small  for 
the  great  work  so  solemnly  committed  to  me.  Mis- 
sionary fields  were  further  off  in  those  days  than  they 
are  now,  and  the  undertaking  seemed  greater.  The 
future  was  unknown;  but  in  God  was  my  trust — and 
He  has  led  me. 


Ill 

BANGKOK 

ON  reaching  New  York  I  went  directly  to  the 
Mission  House,  then  at  23  Centre  Street.  As  I 
mounted  the  steps,  the  first  man  I  met  on  the 
landing  was  Jonathan  Wilson.  We  had  exchanged  a 
few  letters,  and  each  knew  that  the  other  had  not  for- 
gotten Siam;  but  neither  expected  to  meet  the  other 
there.  "Where  are  you  going?"  said  one.  "I  am 
on  my  way  to  Siam,"  said  the  other.  "■  So  am  I," 
was  the  reply.  In  the  meantime  he  had  married  and, 
with  his  young  wife,  was  in  New  York  awaiting 
passage.  We  took  the  first  opportunity  that  ofliered, 
the  clipper  ship  David  Brow7i,  bound  for  Singapore, 
and  sailing  on  March  11th,  1858. 

Sailors  have  a  tradition  that  it  is  unlucky  to  have 
missionaries  on  board ;  but  the  weather  was  propitious 
throughout,  and  the  voyage  a  prosperous  one.  We 
three  were  the  only  passengers,  and  we  proved  to  be 
good  sailors.  Our  fare  was  reasonably  good.  We 
had  plenty  of  good  reading,  and  soon  settled  down  to 
steady  work.  The  ship  was  somewhat  undermanned; 
and  this  fact  was  given  as  an  excuse  for  not  having 
seiTice  on  Sundays.  But  we  had  a  daily  prayer-meet- 
ing throughout  the  voyage,  with  just  a  sufficient  num- 
ber present  to  plead  the  promise :  "  Where  two  or  three 
are  gathered  together  in  my  name."  We  also  had 
free  access  to  the  men  in  the  forecastle  when  off  duty. 

We  had  the  excitement  of  an  ocean  race  with  a  twin 

43 


44       AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

ship  of  the  same  line,  which  was  to  sail  a  week  after 
us.  As  we  reached  Anjer  Straits  on  the  seventy-eighth 
day  out,  a  sail  loomed  up  which  proved  to  be  our  com- 
petitor. She  had  beaten  us  by  a  week!  Ten  days 
later  we  reached  Singapore,  where,  indeed,  we  met  no 
brethren,  but  were  met  by  welcome  letters  from  Siam. 
Like  Paul  at  the  Three  Taverns,  "  we  thanked  God  and 
took  courage."    One  of  the  letters  ran  thus : 

"  Those  were  good  words  that  came  to  our  half -discouraged 
band — the  tidings  that  we  are  to  have  helpers  in  our 
work.  ...  In  our  loneliness  we  have  sometimes  been 
tempted  to  feel  that  our  brethren  at  home  had  forgotten 
us.  But  we  rejoice  to  know  that  there  are  hearts  in  the 
church  which  sympathize  with  us,  and  that  you  are  willing 
to  come  and  participate  with  us  in  our  labours  and  trials, 
our  joys  and  sorrows,  for  we  have  both." 

We  were  fortunate  to  secure  very  early  passage  for 
Bangkok.  On  Friday,  June  18th,  we  reached  the  bar 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Menam  River.  The  next  day  we 
engaged  a  small  schooner  to  take  us  up  to  Bangkok. 
With  a  strong  tide  against  us,  we  were  not  able  that 
evening  to  get  further  than  Mosquito  Point — the  most 
appropriately-named  place  in  all  that  land — only  to 
learn  that  we  could  not  reach  Bangkok  until  Monday 
afternoon.  There  was  no  place  to  sleep  on  board ;  and 
no  sleeping  would  have  been  possible,  had  there  been 
a  place.  By  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  could 
endure  it  no  longer; — the  mosquito  contest  was  too 
unequal.  At  last  we  found  a  man  and  his  wife  who 
would  take  us  to  the  city  in  their  two-oared  skiff. 

Fifty  years'  residence  in  Siam  has  not  surpassed  the 
romance  of  that  night's  ride.  Leaving  our  goods  be- 
hind, we  seated  ourselves  in  the  tiny  craft.  With  gun- 
wales  but   two   inches   above   the  water's   edge,   we 


BANGKOK  45 

skimmed  along  through  a  narrow  winding  canal  over- 
hung with  strange  tropical  trees.  The  moon  was  full, 
but  there  was  a  haze  in  the  air,  adding  weirdness  to 
things  but  dimly  seen.  The  sight  of  our  first  Buddhist 
monastery,  with  its  white  columns  and  grotesque  fig- 
ures, made  us  feel  as  if  we  were  passing  through  some 
fairyland. 

Just  at  dawn  on  Sunday  morning,  June  20th,  1858, 
we  landed  at  the  mission  compound.  Our  quick 
passage  of  only  one  hundred  days  took  our  friends  by 
surprise.  Dr.  House,  roused  by  our  voices  on  the 
veranda,  came  en  deshahille  to  the  door  to  see  what 
was  the  matter.  Finding  who  we  were,  the  eager  man 
thrust  his  hand  through  a  vacant  square  of  the  sash, 
and  shook  hands  with  us  so,  before  he  would  wait  to 
open  the  door.  We  were  in  Bangkok!  It  was  as  if 
we  had  waked  up  in  a  new  world — in  the  Bangkok  to 
which  we  had  looked  forward  as  the  goal  of  our  hopes ; 
which  was  to  be,  as  we  supposed,  the  home  of  our  lives. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Mattoon  was  still  at  his  post,  awaiting 
our  coming.  Mrs.  Mattoon  and  her  daughters  had 
been  compelled  to  leave  for  home  some  time  before  our 
arrival.  And  not  long  thereafter  Mr.  Mattoon  fol- 
lowed them  on  his  furlough,  long  overdue.  Besides 
the  two  men  of  our  own  mission,  we  found  in  Bangkok 
the  Rev.  Dan  B.  Bradley,  M.D.,  who  was  conducting 
a  self-supporting  mission;  Rev.  S.  J.  Smith,  and  Rev. 
R.  Telford  of  the  Baptist  mission. 

Since  neither  Bangkok  nor  Lower  Siam  proved  to 
be  my  permanent  home,  I  shall  content  myself  with  a 
very  summary  account  of  the  events  of  the  next  three 
years. 

The  first  work  of  a  new  missionary  is  to  acquire  the 
language  of  the  country.     His  constant  wish  is,  Oh 


46      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

for  a  gift  of  tongues  to  speak  to  the  people !  As  soon 
as  a  teacher  could  be  found,  I  settled  to  work  at  my 
kaw,  kd,  ki,  kl?  No  ambitious  freshman  has  such  an 
incentive  for  study  as  has  the  new  missionary.  It  is 
well  if  he  does  not  confine  himself  to  grammar  and 
dictionary,  as  he  did  in  the  case  of  his  Latin,  Greek, 
and  Hebrew.  Pallegoix's  DictlonarUnn  Linguae  Thai, 
and  his  short  Grammar  in  Latin,  were  all  the  foreign 
helps  we  had.  The  syntax  of  the  language  is  easy; 
but  the  "  tones,"  the  "  aspirates,"  and  ''  inaspirates," 
are  perplexing  beyond  belief.  You  try  to  say  "  fowl." 
No,  that  is  ''  egg."  You  mean  to  say  "  rice,"  but  you 
actually  say  "  mountain." 

A  thousand  times  a  day  the  new  missionary  longs  to 
open  his  mouth,  but  his  lips  are  sealed.  It  is  a  mat- 
ter of  continual  regret  that  he  cannot  pour  out  his 
soul  in  the  ardour  of  his  first  love,  unchilled  by  the 
deadening  influences  to  which  it  is  sure  to  be  sub- 
jected later.  But  the  delay  is  not  an  unmitigated 
evil.  He  is  in  a  new  world,  in  which  he  is  constantly 
reminded  of  the  danger  of  giving  offence  by  a  breach 
of  custom  as  unalterable  as  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and 
Persians.  A  bright  little  boy  runs  up  and  salutes  you. 
You  stroke  his  long  black  hair,  only  to  be  reminded 
by  one  of  your  seniors — "  Oh !  you  must  never  do  that ! 
It  is  a  mortal  offence  to  lay  your  hand  on  a  person's 
head."  So,  while  you  are  learning  the  language,  you 
are  learning  other  things  as  well,  and  of  no  less  im- 
portance. 

In  the  mission  school  there  was  a  class  of  bright 

boys  named   N^,  Dit,   Chftn,  Kwai,  Henry,   and  one 

girl,  Tuan.     To  my  great  delight,  Dr.  House  kindly 

turned  them  over  to  me.     It  made  me  think  I  was 

1  The  first  exercise  of  the  Siamese  Spelling-book. 


BANGKOK  47 

doing  something,  and  I  really  was.  I  soon  became 
deeply  interested  in  these  children.  Ne  grew  to  be  an 
important  business  man  and  an  elder  in  the  church; 
Tiian's  family  became  one  of  the  most  influential  in 
the  church.  Her  two  sons,  the  late  Bun  It  and  Elder 
Bun  Yi  of  the  First  Church  in  Chiengmai,  have  been 
among  the  very  best  fruits  of  the  mission ;  though  my 
personal  share  in  their  training  was,  of  course,  very 
slight.  In  the  September  after  our  arrival  there  was 
organized  the  Presbytery  of  Siam,  with  the  four  men 
of  the  mission  as  its  constituent  members.  During  the 
first  two  years,  moreover,  I  made  a  number  of  tours 
about  the  country— sometimes  aloue>  oftener  with  Dr. 
House,  and  once  with  Mr.  Wilson. 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  His  Majesty  the  King 
of  Siam,  not  only  at  his  birthday  celebrations,  to 
which  foreigners  were  invited,  but  once,  also,  at  a 
public  audience  on  the  occasion  of  the  presentation 
of  a  letter  from  President  James  Buchanan  of  the 
United  States.  This  was  through  the  courtesy  of  Mr. 
J.  H.  Chandler,  the  acting  United  States  Consul.  Two 
royal  state  barges  were  sent  down  to  the  Consulate  to 
receive  the  President's  letter  and  the  consular  party. 
Siamese  etiquette  requires  that  the  letter  be  accorded 
the  same  honour  as  would  be  given  the  President  in  per- 
son. In  the  first  barge  was  the  letter,  placed  in  a 
large  golden  urn,  with  a  pyramidal  cover  of  gold,  and 
escorted  by  the  four  officers  who  attend  upon  His 
Majesty  when  he  appears  in  public.  In  the  second 
barge  was  the  consular  party. 

After  a  magnificent  ride  of  four  miles  up  the  river, 
we  were  met  at  the  palace  by  gilded  palanquins  for 
the  members  of  the  party,  while  the  letter,  in  a  special 
palanquin  and  under  the  golden  umbrella,  led  the  way 


48      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

to  the  Palace,  some  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  At  the 
Palace  gate  a  prince  of  rank  met  us,  and  ushered  us 
into  the  royal  presence,  where  His  Majest}'  sat  on  his 
throne  of  gold,  richly  overhung  with  gilded  tapestry. 
Advancing  toward  the  throne,  and  bowing  low,  we 
took  our  stand  erect,  while  every  high  prince  and  noble- 
man about  us  was  on  bended  knees,  not  daring  to  raise 
his  eyes  above  the  floor. 

The  Consul  then  read  a  short  introductory  speech, 
stepped  forward,  and  placed  the  letter  in  the  extended 
hands  of  the  King.  Having  glanced  over  it,  the  King 
handed  it  to  his  secretary,  who  read  it  aloud.  His 
Majesty  translating  the  substance  of  it  to  the  princes 
and  nobles  present.  The  King  then  arose,  put  his 
scarf  about  his  waist,  girded  on  his  golden  sword, 
came  down,  and  shook  hands  with  each  of  the  party. 
Then,  with  a  wave  of  his  hand,  he  said,  '*  We  have  given 
President  Buchanan  the  first  public  reception  in  our 
new  palace,"  adding,  '^  I  honour  President  Buchanan 
very  much."  He  escorted  the  party  around  the  room, 
showing  us  the  portraits  of  George  Washington,  Presi- 
dent Pierce,  Queen  Victoria,  and  Prince  Albert.  Then, 
turning  to  the  proper  ofiQcer,  he  directed  him  to  con- 
duct us  to  an  adjoining  room  to  partake  of  a  luncheon 
prepared  for  us;  and,  with  a  bow,  withdrew. 

After  "  tiffin,"  we  were  escorted  to  the  landing  as 
we  had  come,  and  returned  in  like  state  in  the  royal 
barge  to  the  Consulate.  Altogether  it  was  a  notable 
occasion. 

Of  the  tours  undertaken  in  Lower  Siam,  the  one 
which  led  to  the  most  lasting  results  was  one  in  1859 
to  Pechaburi,  which  has  since  become  well  known  as 
one  of  our  mission  stations.  For  companion  on  this 
trip  I  had  Cornelius  Bradley,  son  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Brad- 


MAHA    MONKUT, 
KING    OF    SIAM,    1851-1872 


BANGKOK  49 

ley  of  Bangkok.  Shortly  before  this  a  rising  young 
nobleman,  and  a  liberal-minded  friend  of  foreigners, 
had  been  assigned  to  the  place  ostensibly  of  lieutenant- 
governor  (Pra  Palat)  of  PechaburT,  but  practically  of 
governor.  He  was  a  brother  of  the  future  Regent; 
had  been  on  the  first  embassy  to  England;  and  at  a 
later  period  became  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs.  At 
our  call,  His  Excellency  received  us  very  kindly,  and 
before  we  left  invited  us  to  dine  with  him  on  the 
following  evening. 

The  dinner  was  one  that  would  have  done  credit  to 
any  hostess  in  America.  I  was  still  more  surprised 
when,  at  the  table,  addressing  me  by  a  title  then  given 
to  all  missionaries,  he  said,  "Maw"  (Doctor),  "I 
want  you  to  come  and  live  in  PechaburT.  You  have 
no  family.  I  will  furnish  you  a  house,  and  give  you 
every  assistance  you  need.  You  can  teach  as  much 
Christianity  as  you  please,  if  only  you  will  teach  my 
son  English.  If  you  want  a  school,  I  will  see  that 
you  have  pupils."  I  thanked  him  for  the  offer,  but 
could  only  tell  him  that  I  would  think  the  matter  over. 
It  might  be,  after  all,  only  a  Siamese  cheap  compli- 
ment. It  seemed  too  good  to  be  true.  It  was,  how- 
ever, directly  in  the  line  of  my  own  thoughts.  I  had 
come  to  Siam  with  the  idea  of  leaving  the  great  com- 
mercial centres,  and  making  the  experiment  among  a 
rural  population  like  that  of  my  North  Carolina 
charge. 

The  next  day  the  Pra  Palat  called  on  us  at  our 
sdld,^  and  again  broached  the  subject.  He  was  very 
anxious  to  have  his  son  study  English.     In  my  mission 

^  A  public  rest-house  or  shelter,  such  as  Buddhist  piety  provides 
everywhere  for  travellers,  but  especially  in  connection  with  the 
monasteries. 


50      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

work  I  should  be  untrammelled.  Before  leaving  us,  he 
mentioned  the  matter  again.  It  was  this  time  no 
courteous  evasion  when  I  told  him  I  would  come  if  I 
could. — What  did  it  all  mean? 

I  returned  to  Bangkok  full  of  enthusiasm  for 
Pechaburi.  The  more  I  pondered  it,  the  greater  the 
offer  seemed  to  be.  Beyond  my  predilection  for  a 
smaller  city  or  for  rural  work,  I  actually  did  not  like 
Bangkok.  Pechaburi,  however,  was  beyond  the  limits 
of  treaty  rights.  Permission  to  establish  a  station 
there  could  be  had  only  by  sufferance  from  a  govern- 
ment not  hitherto  noted  for  liberality.  Here  was  an 
invitation  equivalent  to  a  royal  permit,  and  with  no 
further  red  tape  about  it.  I  could  see  only  one  ob- 
stacle in  the  way.  The  senior  member  of  the  mission 
— the  one  who  was  naturally  its  head — I  feared  would 
not  approve.  And  he  did,  indeed,  look  askance  at  the 
proposition.  He  doubted  whether  we  could  trust  the 
promises  made.  And  then  to  go  so  far  away  alone! 
But  I  thought  I  knew  human  nature  well  enough  to 
trust  that  man.  As  to  being  alone,  I  was  willing  to 
risk  that.  Possibly  it  might  not  be  best  to  ride  a 
free  horse  too  freely.  I  would  go  with  my  own  equip- 
ment, and  be  at  least  semi-independent;  though  the 
Palat  had  said  that  he  did  not  mind  the  expense,  if 
only  he  could  get  his  son  taught  English. 

There  could  at  least  be  no  objection  to  making  an 
experimental  visit,  and  then  continuing  it  as  long  as 
might  seem  wise.  Pechaburi  is  within  thirty  hours 
of  Bangkok.  If  taken  sick,  I  could  run  over  in  a  day 
or  two.  With  that  understanding,  and  with  the  tacit 
rather  than  the  expressed  sanction  of  the  mission,  I 
began  to  make  preparations. 

At   last   my  preparations   were   complete,   even   to 


BANGKOK  51 

baking  bread  for  the  trip.  I  had  fitted  up  a  touring- 
boat  of  my  own,  and  had  engaged  captain  and  boat- 
men; when,  on  the  day  before  I  was  to  start,  cholera, 
which  for  some  time  had  been  sporadic  in  Bangkok, 
suddenly  became  epidemic.  Till  then  Dr.  James  Camp- 
bell, physician  to  the  British  Consulate,  and  our  med- 
ical authority,  thought  that  with  caution  and  prudence 
I  might  safely  go.  A  general  panic  now  arose  all 
over  the  land.  Dr.  Bradley  came  to  tell  me  that 
deaths  were  occurring  hourly  on  the  canal  by  which 
I  was  to  travel.  To  go  then  would  be  to  tempt  provi- 
dence. I  had  earnestly  sought  direction,  and  it  came 
in  a  way  little  expected. 

The  first  man  I  met  next  morning  was  Dr.  House, 
coming  home  from  Mr.  Wilson's.  He  had  been  called 
in  the  night  to  attend  Mrs.  Wilson,  who  had  been  sud- 
denly attacked  with  "  the  disease,"  as  the  natives 
euphemistically  call  it,  being  superstitiously  afraid 
of  uttering  the  name.  Dr.  House  had  failed  to  check 
it,  and  sent  me  to  call  Dr.  Campbell.  But  he  was  not 
at  home,  and  did  not  get  the  message  till  near  noon. 
By  that  time  the  patient  had  reached  the  stage  when 
collapse  was  about  to  ensue.  The  disease  was  finally 
arrested,  but  Mrs.  Wilson  was  left  in  a  very  precari- 
ous condition. 

Meanwhile  her  little  daughter  Harriet  was  also  taken 
ill,  and  for  a  time  the  life  of  both  mother  and  daughter 
was  in  suspense.  The  child  lingered  on  till  May  13th, 
when  she  was  taken  to  a  better  clime.  On  July  14th  the 
mother,  too,  ceased  from  her  suffering,  and  entered  on 
her  everlasting  rest. 

During  these  months,  of  course,  all  thoughts  of 
Pechaburi  had  been  abandoned;  nor  would  it  then 
have  been  deemed  wise  to  travel  during  the  wet  sea- 


52     AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

son.  Before  the  next  dry  season  came,  Bangkok  be- 
gan to  have  more  attractions,  and  I  had  become  less 
ambitious  to  start  a  new  station  alone.  On  the  11th 
of  September  I  became  engaged  to  Miss  Sophia  Royce 
Bradley,  daughter  of  the  Rev.  D.  B.  Bradley,  M.D. 
On  December  6th,  1860,  we  were  married.  In  my 
wife  I  found  a  helpmeet  of  great  executive  ability,  and 
admirably  qualified  for  the  diversified  work  before  us. 
It  was  something,  too,  to  have  inherited  the  best  tradi- 
tions of  one  of  the  grand  missionaries  of  his  age.^ 

Samre,  our  mission  station  in  Bangkok,  was  four 
miles  distant  from  the  heart  of  the  city.  We  greatly 
needed  a  more  central  station  for  our  work.  Dr. 
Bradley  offered  us  the  use  of  a  house  on  his  own 
premises — one  of  the  most  desirable  situations  in 
Bangkok — if  we  would  come  and  live  there.  The  mis- 
sion accepted  his  generous  offer.  With  reluctance  I 
resigned  whatever  claim  I  might  have  to  be  the  pioneer 
of  the  new  station  at  Pechaburi.  We  were  settled,  as 
it  would  seem,  for  life,  in  Bangkok. 

^Dr.  Bradley's  life  would  be  the  best  history  we  could  have  of 
Slam  during  its  transition  period.  He  left  a  voluminous  diary,  and 
it  was  frona  his  pen  that  most  of  the  exact  information  concerning 
Siam  was  long  derived. 


IV 
PECHABURI— THE  CALL  OF  THE  NORTH 

BY  this  time  the  mission  generally  had  become 
interested  in  the  establishment  of  a  new  sta- 
tion at  Pechaburi.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  House  were 
designated  for  the  post.  The  Doctor  actually  went 
to  Pechaburi ;  procured  there,  through  the  help  of  our 
friend  the  Palat,  a  lot  with  a  house  on  it;  and  thus 
committed  the  mission  to  the  project.  But  the  day 
before  he  was  to  start  homeward  to  prepare  for  re- 
moval thither,  he  was  so  seriously  hurt  by  a  fall  from 
his  horse  that  he  was  confined  to  his  bed  for  several 
months.  It  was  even  feared  that  he  was  permanently 
disabled  for  active  life.  A  new  adjustment  of  our 
personnel  was  thus  necessitated.  Dr.  Mattoon  had 
just  returned  from  the  United  States  with  the  Rev. 
S.  G.  McFarland,  the  Rev.  N.  A.  McDonald,  and  their 
wives.  Dr.  Mattoon  could  not  be  spared  from  Bang- 
kok, nor  was  he  enthusiastic  over  the  new  station. 
Mr.  McDonald  had  no  desire  for  such  experiments. 
Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McFarland  were  anxious  to  move, 
but  were  too  new  to  the  field  to  be  sent  out  alone. 
They  were  urgent  that  we  should  go  with  them.  My 
opportunity  had  come.  So,  early  in  June,  1861,  we 
broke  up  the  first  home  of  our  married  life,  and,  in 
company  with  the  McFarlands,  moved  on  to  our  new 
home  and  our  new  work. 
Our  friend,  the  Pra  Palat,  seemed  pleased  that  we 
53 


54      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

had  come,  after  all.  His  slight  knowledge  of  English 
had  been  learned  as  a  private  pupil  from  Mrs.  Mc- 
Gilvary's  own  mother.  He  was  glad,  whenever  he  had 
leisure,  to  continue  his  studies  with  Mrs.  McGilvary. 
Mr.  McFarland  preferred  school  work.  He  took  the 
son  that  I  was  to  have  taught,  and  left  me  untram- 
melled to  enter  upon  evangelistic  work.  The  half -hour 
after  each  evening  meal  we  spent  in  united  prayer  for 
guidance  and  success.  Two  servants  of  each  family 
were  selected  as  special  subjects  of  prayer;  and  these, 
in  due  time,  we  had  the  pleasure  of  welcoming  into 
the  church. 

Of  the  incidents  of  our  Pechaburi  life  I  have  room 
for  but  a  single  one.  As  we  were  rising  from  the 
dinner-table  one  Sunday  shortly  after  our  arrival,  we 
were  surprised  to  see  a  man  coming  up  the  steps  and 
crossing  the  veranda  in  haste,  as  if  on  a  special  errand. 
He  led  by  the  hand  a  little  boy  of  ten  or  twelve  years, 
and  said,  "  I  want  to  commit  this  son  of  mine  into 
your  care.  I  want  you  to  teach  him."  Struck  by  his 
earnest  manner,  we  drew  from  him  these  facts :  He  was 
a  farmer  named  Nai  Kawn,  living  some  five  miles  out 
in  the  country.  He  had  just  heard  of  our  arrival,  had 
come  immediately,  and  was  very  glad  to  find  us. 

We  asked  whether  he  had  ever  met  a  missionary  be- 
fore. No,  he  said,  but  his  father — since  dead — had 
once  met  Dr.  Bradley,  and  had  received  a  book  from 
him.  He  had  begged  other  books  from  neighbours  who 
had  received  them  but  did  not  value  them.  Neither 
did  he  at  first,  till  the  great  cholera  scourge  of  1849, 
when  people  were  dying  all  around  him.  He  was 
greatly  alarmed,  and  learned  from  one  of  the  books 
that  Pra  Yesu  heard  prayer  in  trouble,  and  could  save 
from  sin.     For  a  long  time  he  prayed  for  light,  until, 


PECHABURI— THE  CALL  OF  THE  NORTH   55 

about  three  years  ago,  he  believed  in  Jesns,  and  was  now 
happy  in  heart.  He  had  heard  once  of  Dr.  Bradley's 
coming  to  Pechaburi,  but  not  until  he  was  gone  again. 
He  preached  to  his  neighbours,  who  called  him  "  Kon 
Pra  Yesti"  (Lord  Jesus'  man).  He  had  prayed  for 
Dr.  Bradley  and  the  missionaries;  he  had  read  the 
story  of  Moses,  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  the  Gospel 
of  John,  a  tract  on  Prayer,  and  "  The  Golden  Bal- 
ance"; and  he  believed  them.  He  could  repeat  por- 
tions of  Romans  and  John  verbatim ;  and  he  had  his  son 
repeat  the  Lord's  Prayer. 

My  subject  at  the  afternoon  service  was  Nicodemus 
and  the  New  Birth.  Nai  Kawn  sat  spellbound,  fre- 
quently nodding  assent.  At  the  close  we  asked  him 
to  speak  a  few  words;  which  he  did  with  great  clear- 
ness. On  being  questioned  as  to  the  Trinity,  he  replied 
that  he  was  not  sure  whether  he  understood  it.  He 
gathered,  however,  that  Jehovah  was  the  Father  and 
Ruler;  that  the  Son  came  to  save  us  by  dying  for  us; 
and  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Comforter.  The  differ- 
ence between  Jesus  and  Buddha  is  that  the  latter  en- 
tered into  Nirvana,  and  that  was  the  last  of  him; 
while  Jesus  lives  to  save.  He  even  insisted  that  he 
had  seen  a  vision  of  Jesus  in  heaven.  His  other  ex- 
periences were  characterized  by  such  marks  of  sober- 
ness that  we  wondered  whether  his  faith  might  not 
have  been  strengthened  by  a  dream  or  a  vision. 

This  incident,  coming  so  soon  after  our  arrival, 
greatly  cheered  us  in  our  work.  His  subsequent  story 
is  too  long  to  follow  out  in  detail  here.  His  piety  and 
his  sincerity  were  undoubted.  He  lived  and  died  a 
Christian;  yet  he  never  fully  identified  himself  with 
the  church.  He  insisted  that  he  had  been  baptized  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  that  there  was  no  need  of  further 


56      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

baptism.  Not  long  after  this  Dr.  Bradley  and  Mr. 
Mattoon  visited  Pechaburi,  examined  the  man,  and 
were  equally  surprised  at  his  history. 

What  changed  our  life-work  from  the  Siamese  to 
the  Lao?  There  were  two  principal  causes.  The  vari- 
ous Lao  states  which  are  now  a  part  of  Siam,  were 
then  ruled  by  feudal  princes,  each  virtually  sovereign 
within  his  own  dominions,  but  all  required  to  pay  a 
triennial  visit  to  the  Siamese  capital,  bringing  the 
customary  gifts  to  their  suzerain,  the  King  of  Siam, 
and  renewing  their  oath  of  allegiance  to  him.  Their 
realms  served,  moreover,  as  a  "  buffer  "  between  Siam 
and  Burma.  There  were  six  of  these  feudal  principal- 
ities. Five  of  them  occupied  the  basins  of  five  chief 
tributaries  of  the  Menam  River;  namely — in  order 
from  west  to  east — Chiengmai,  LampQn,  Lakawn,  Pr^, 
and  Nan.  The  sixth  was  LQang  Prabang  on  the  MS 
Kong  River.  The  rapids  on  all  these  streams  had 
served  as  an  effectual  barrier  in  keeping  the  northern 
and  the  southern  states  quite  separate.  There  was 
no  very  frequent  communication  in  trade.  There  was 
no  mail  communication.  Official  despatches  were 
passed  along  from  one  governor  to  the  next.  Very 
little  was  known  in  Bangkok  about  the  Lao  provinces 
of  the  north.  A  trip  from  Bangkok  to  Chiengmai 
seemed  then  like  going  out  of  the  world.  Only  one 
Englishman,  Sir  Robert  Schomburgk  of  the  British 
Consulate  in  Bangkok,  had  ever  made  it. 

Of  these  Lao  states,  Chiengmai  was  the  most  im- 
portant. After  it  came  Nan,  then  Liiang  Prabang 
(since  ceded  to  the  French),  Lakawn,  PrS,  and  Lam- 
pun.  The  Lao  people  were  regarded  in  Siam  as  a  very 
warlike  race;  one  chieftain  in  particular  being  famed 


1 

^^  1 

■ir  1 

■ 

mm 

-  mum 

, 

PECHABURI— THE  CALL  OF  THE  NORTH   57 

as  a  great  warrior.  They  were  withal  said  to  be  sus- 
picious and  unreliable. 

Almost  the  only  visible  result  of  my  six  months'  stay 
within  the  city  of  Bangkok,  after  my  marriage,  was 
the  formation  of  a  slight  acquaintance  with  the  Prince 
of  Chiengmai  and  his  family.  Just  before  my  mar- 
riage he  had  arrived  in  Bangkok  with  a  great  flotilla 
of  boats  and  a  great  retinue  of  attendants.  The 
grounds  of  Wat  Cheng  monastery,  near  to  Dr.  Brad- 
ley's compound,  had  always  been  their  stopping-place. 
The  consequence  was  that,  of  all  the  missionaries.  Dr. 
Bradley  had  become  best  acquainted  with  them  and 
most  deeply  interested  in  them.  He  earnestly  cul- 
tivated their  friendship,  invited  them  to  his  printing- 
office  and  to  his  house,  and  continually  preached  unto 
them  the  Gospel.  They  were  much  interested  in  vac- 
cination, which  he  had  introduced,  and  were  delighted 
to  find  that  it  protected  them  from  smallpox. 

The  day  after  our  marriage,  in  response  to  a  present 
of  some  wedding  cake,  the  Prince  himself,  with  his  two 
daughters  and  a  large  train  of  attendants,  called  on  us 
in  our  new  home.  This  was  my  first  introduction  to 
Chao  Kawilorot  and  his  family,  who  were  to  play  so 
important  a  role  in  my  future  life.  All  that  I  saw 
of  him  and  of  his  people  interested  me  greatly.  Dur- 
ing the  short  time  we  remained  in  their  neighbourhood, 
I  made  frequent  visits  to  the  Lao  camp.  The  subject 
of  a  mission  in  Chiengmai  was  talked  of,  with  apparent 
approval  on  the  part  of  the  Prince.  My  interest  in 
Pechaburi  was  increased  by  the  knowledge  that  there 
was  a  large  colony  of  Lao  *  there.     These  were  cap- 

^  The  application  of  this  name  is  by  no  means  uniform  throughout 
the  peninsula.  From  Luang  Prabang  soiithward  along  the  eastern 
frontier,  the  tribes  of  that  stock  call  themselves  Lao,  and  are  so 


58     AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

tives  of  war  from  the  region  of  Khorat,  bearing  no 
very  close  resemblance  to  our  later  parishioners  in 
the  north.  At  the  time  of  our  stay  in  Pechaburi,  the 
Lao  in  that  province  were  held  as  government  slaves, 
engaged  all  day  on  various  public  works — a  circum- 
stance which  greatly  impeded  our  access  to  them,  and 
at  the  same  time  made  it  more  difficult  for  them  to  em- 
brace Christianity.  Neither  they  nor  we  dared  apply 
to  the  government  for  the  requisite  sanction,  lest 
thereby  their  case  be  made  worse.  Our  best  oppor- 
tunity for  work  among  them  was  at  night.  My  most 
pleasant  memories  of  Pechaburi  cluster  about  scenes 
in  Lao  villages,  when  the  whole  population  would  as- 
semble, either  around  a  camp-fire  or  under  the  bright 
light  of  the  moon,  to  listen  till  late  in  the  night  to  the 
word  of  God.  The  conversion  of  Nai  Ang,  the  first  one 
from  that  colony,  anticipated  that  of  Nan  Inta,  and  the 
larger  ingathering  in  the  North. 

But  there  was  more  than  a  casual  connection  be- 
tween the  two.  My  labours  among  them  increased 
the  desire,  already  awakened  in  me,  to  reach  the  home 
of  the  race.  Here  was  another  link  in  the  chain  of 
providences  by  which  I  was  led  to  my  life-work.  The 
time,  however,  was  not  yet  ripe.  The  available  force 
of  the  mission  was  not  yet  large  enough  to  justify 
further  expansion.     Moreover,  our  knowledge  of  the 

called  by  tlieir  neighbours.  But  the  central  and  western  groups  do 
not  acknowledge  the  name  as  theirs  at  all,  but  call  themselves  simply 
Tai;  or  if  a  distinction  must  be  made,  they  call  themselves  Kon  NQa 
(Northerners),  and  the  Siamese,  Kon  Tai  (Southerners).  The  Sia- 
mese, on  the  other  hand,  also  call  themselves  Tai,  which  is  really  the 
race-name,  common  to  all  branches  of  the  stock;  and  they  apply  the 
name  Lao  alike  to  all  their  northern  cousins  except  the  Ngio.  or 
Western  Shaus.  Nothing  is  known  of  the  origin  of  the  name,  but 
the  same  root  no  doubt  appears  in  such  tribal  and  geographical 
names  as  Lawa,  Lawa,  Lawo— the  last  being  the  name  of  the  famous 
abandoned  capital  now  known  as  Lophburi. — Ed. 


PECHABURl— THE  CALL  OF  THE  NORTH   59 

Lao  country  was  not  such  as  to  make  possible  any 
comprehensive  and  intelligent  plans  for  a  mission 
there.  The  first  thing  to  do  was  evidently  to  make  a 
tour  of  exploration.  The  way  to  such  a  tour  was 
opened  in  the  fall  of  1863.  The  Presbytery  of  Siam 
met  in  Bangkok  early  in  November.  I  had  so  ar- 
ranged my  affairs  that,  if  the  way  should  open,  I  could 
go  north  directly,  without  returning  to  Pechaburi.  I 
knew  that  Mr.  Wilson  was  free,  and  I  thought  he 
would  favour  the  trip.  This  he  readily  did,  and  the 
mission  gave  its  sanction.  So  I  committed  my  wife 
and  our  two-year-old  daughter  to  the  care  of  loving 
grandparents,  and,  after  a  very  hasty  preparation, 
we  started  on  the  20th  of  November  in  search  of  far- 
away Chiengmai. 

The  six-oared  touring-boat  which  I  had  fitted  up  in 
my  bachelor  days  was  well  adapted  for  our  purpose 
as  far  as  the  first  fork  of  the  Menam.     The  Siamese 
are  experts  with  the  oar,  but  are  unused  to  the  setting- 
pole,  which  is  well-nigh  the  only  resource  all  through 
the  upper  reaches  of  the  river.     It  was  sunset  on  a  Fri- 
day evening  before  we  finally  got  off.     But  it  was  a 
start;  and  it  proved  to  be  one  of  the  straws  on  which 
the  success  of  the  trip  depended.     The  current  against 
us  was  very  strong;  so  we  slept  within  the  city  limits  • 
that  night.     We  spent  all  day  Saturday  traversing  a 
canal  parallel  with  the  river,  where  the  current  was 
weaker.     It  was  sunset  before  we  entered  again  the 
main  stream,  and  stopped  to  spend  Sunday  at  a  monas- 
tery.    To  our  great  surprise  we  found  that  the  Prince 
of  Chiengmai— of  whose  coming  we  had  had  no  intima- 
tion—had  camped   there  the  night   before,   and   had 
passed  on  down  to  Bangkok  that  very  morning.     We 
had  missed  him  by  taking  the  canal ! 


60      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

We  were  in  doubt  whether  we  ought  not  to  return 
and  get  a  letter  from  him.  A  favourable  letter  would 
be  invaluable;  but  he  might  refuse,  or  even  forbid  our 
going.  If  we  may  judge  from  what  we  afterwards 
knew  of  his  suspicious  nature,  such  probably  would 
have  been  the  outcome.  At  any  rate,  it  would  delay 
us;  and  we  had  already  a  passport  from  the  Siamese 
government  which  would  ensure  our  trip.  And,  doubt- 
less, we  did  accomplish  our  design  with  more  freedom 
because  of  the  Prince's  absence  from  his  realm.  It 
was  apparently  a  fortuitous  thing  that  our  men  knew 
of  the  more  sluggish  channel,  and  so  missed  the  Lao 
flotilla.  But  it  is  quite  possible  that  upon  that  choice 
depended  the  establishment  of  the  Lao  mission. 

All  went  well  until  we  reached  the  first  fork  at  Pak- 
nam  Po.  There  the  water  came  rushing  down  like  a 
torrent,  so  swift  that  oars  were  of  no  avail.  We  tried 
first  one  side  of  the  stream  and  then  the  other,  but 
all  in  vain.  Our  boatmen  exchanged  their  oars  for 
poles.  But  they  were  awkward  and  unaccustomed  to 
their  use.  The  boat  would  inevitably  drift  down 
stream.  The  poor  boatmen  laughed  despairingly  at 
their  own  failure.  At  last  a  rope  was  suggested.  The 
men  climbed  the  bank,  and  dragged  the  boat  around 
the  point  to  where  the  current  was  less  swift.  But 
when,  as  often  happened,  it  became  necessary  to  cross 
to  the  other  side  of  the  river,  the  first  push  off  the 
bank  would  send  us  into  water  so  deep  that  a  fifteen- 
foot  pole  could  not  reach  bottom.  Away  would  go 
the  boat  some  hundreds  of  yards  down  stream  before 
we  could  bring  up  on  the  opposite  bank.  We  reached 
Raheng,  however,  in  nineteen  travelling  days — which 
was  not  by  any  means  bad  time. 

In  our  various  journeyings  hitherto   we  had  con- 


PECHABURI— THE  CALL  OF  THE  NORTH   61 

trolled  our  own  means  of  transportation.  Hence- 
forth we  were  at  the  mercy  of  native  officials,  to  whose 
temperament  such  things  as  punctuality  and  speed 
are  altogether  alien.  From  Raheng  the  trip  by  ele- 
phant to  Chiengmai  should  be  only  twelve  days.  By 
boat,  the  trip  would  be  much  longer,  though  the  re- 
turn trip  would  be  correspondingly  shorter.  We  had 
a  letter  from  Bangkok  to  the  officials  along  the  route, 
directing  them  to  procure  for  us  boats,  elephants,  or 
men,  as  we  might  need.  We  were  in  a  hurry,  and, 
besides,  were  young  and  impulsive.  The  officials  at 
Raheng  assured  us  that  we  should  have  prompt 
despatch.  No  one,  however,  seemed  to  make  any  ef- 
fort to  send  us  on.  The  governor  was  a  great 
Buddhist,  and  fond  of  company  and  argument.  He 
could  match  our  Trinity  by  a  Buddhist  one:  Puttho, 
Thammo,  Sangkho — Buddha,  the  Scriptures,  the 
Brotherhood.  Men's  own  good  deeds  were  their  only 
atonement.  The  one  religion  was  as  good  as  the  other. 
On  these  subjects  he  would  talk  by  the  hour;  but  when 
urged  to  get  our  elephants,  he  always  had  an  excuse. 
At  last,  in  despair,  we  decided  to  take  our  boatmen 
and  walk.  When  this  news  reached  the  governor, 
whether  from  pity  of  us,  or  from  fear  that  some  trouble 
might  grow  out  of  it,  he  sent  word  that  if  we  would 
wait  till  the  next  day,  we  should  have  the  elephants 
without  fail. 

We  got  the  elephants ;  but,  as  it  was,  from  preference 
I  walked  most  of  the  way.  Once  I  paid  dear  for  my 
walk  by  getting  separated  from  my  elephant  in  the 
morning,  losing  my  noonday  lunch,  and  not  regaining 
my  party  till,  tired  and  hungry,  I  reached  camp  at 
night.  Our  guide  had  taken  a  circuitous  route  to 
avoid  a  band  of  robbers  on  the  main  route  which  I 


62      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

had  followed!  This  was  my  first  experience  of  ele- 
phant-riding. We  crossed  rivers  where  the  banks  were 
steep,  and  there  was  no  regular  landing.  But  whether 
ascending  or  descending  steep  slopes,  whether  skirting 
streams  and  waterfalls,  one  may  trust  the  elephant's 
sagacity  and  surefootedness.  The  view  we  had  from 
one  of  the  mountain  ridges  seemed  incomparably  fine. 
The  Me  Ping  wound  its  way  along  the  base  beneath 
us,  while  beyond,  to  right  and  to  left,  rose  range  be- 
yond range,  with  an  occasional  peak  towering  high 
above  the  rest.  But  that  was  tame  in  comparison 
with  many  mountain  views  encountered  in  subsequent 
years. 

We  were  eight  days  in  reaching  Lakawn/  which  we 
marked  as  one  of  our  future  mission  stations.  On 
being  asked  whether  he  would  welcome  a  mission 
there,  the  governor  replied,  "  If  the  King  of  Siam  and 
the  Prince  of  Chiengmai  approve."  At  Lakawn  we 
had  no  delay,  stopping  there  only  from  Friday  till 
Monday  morning.  Thence  to  Lampun  we  found  salas, 
or  rest-houses,  at  regular  intervals.  The  watershed 
between  these  towns  was  the  highest  we  had  crossed. 
The  road  follows  the  valley  of  a  stream  to  near  the 
summit,  and  then  follows  another  stream  down  on  the 
other  side.  The  gorge  was  in  places  so  narrow  that 
the  elephant-saddle  scraped  the  mountain  wall  on  one 
side,  while  on  the  other  a  misstep  would  have  precip- 
itated us  far  down  to  the  brook-bed  below. 

^A  corruption  of  Nakawn  (for  Sanskrit  nagara,  capital  city), 
■which  is  the  first  part  of  the  official  name  of  the  place,  Nakawn 
Lampang.  The  Post  Office  calls  it  Lampang,  to  distinguish  it  from 
another  Nakawn  (likewise  Lakawn  in  common  speech),  in  the  Malay 
Peninsula — the  place  known  to  Europeans  as  Ligor.  The  general 
currency  of  this  sliort  name,  and  its  regular  use  in  all  the  missionary 
literature,  seem  to  justify  its  retention  in  this  narrative. — Ed. 


PECHABURl— THE  CALL  OF  THE  NORTH   63 

At  Lampun  my  companion  was  not  well,  so  that 
I  alone  called  on  the  authorities.  The  governor  had 
called  the  princes  together  to  learn  our  errand.  They 
seemed  bewildered  when  told  that  we  had  no  govern- 
ment business,  nor  were  we  traders — were  only  teach- 
ers of  religion.  When  the  proper  officer  was  directed 
to  send  us  on  quickly,  he  began  to  make  excuses  that 
it  would  take  two  or  three  days.  Turning  sharply 
upon  him,  the  governor  asked,  "  Praya  Sanam,  how 
many  elephants  have  you?"  "Four,"  was  the  re- 
sponse. "  See  that  they  get  off  to-morrow,"  was  the 
short  reply.  He  meekly  withdrew.  There  was  evi- 
dently no  trifling  with  that  governor.  One  day  more 
brought  us  to  Chiengmai — to  the  end  of  what  seemed 
then  a  very  long  journey.  As  we  neared  the  city,  Mr. 
Wilson's  elephant  took  fright  at  the  creaking  noise 
of  a  water-wheel,  and  ran  away,  crashing  through 
bamboo  fences  and  trampling  down  gardens.  For- 
tunately no  one  was  hurt. 

We  reached  the  city  on  January  7th,  18G4,  on  the 
forty-ninth  day  of  our  journey.  The  nephew  of  the 
Prince  had  been  left  in  charge  during  the  Prince's 
absence.  He  evidently  was  in  doubt  how  to  receive 
us.  He  could  not  ignore  our  passport  and  letter  from 
Bangkok.  On  the  other  hand,  why  did  we  not  have 
a  letter  from  the  Prince?  Our  story  of  missing  him 
through  choosing  the  canal  instead  of  the  main  river 
might  or  might  not  be  true.  If  the  deputy  were  too 
hospitable,  his  Prince  might  blame  him.  So  he  cut 
the  knot,  and  went  off  to  his  fields.  We  saw  no  more 
of  him  till  he  came  in  to  see  us  safely  off. 

The  elder  daughter  of  the  Prince  had  accompanied 
her  father  to  Bangkok,  but  the  younger  daughter  was 
at  home.     She  was  a  person  of  great  influence,  and 


64      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

was  by  nature  hospitable.  Things  could  not  have 
been  better  planned  for  our  purpose.  The  princess 
remembered  me  and  my  wife  from  her  call  on  us  after 
our  wedding.  She  now  called  on  us  in  person  with 
her  retinue;  after  that  everybody  else  was  free  to 
call.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  that  previous  acquaint- 
ance redeemed  our  trip  from  being  a  failure.  Our 
sala  was  usually  crowded  with  visitors.  We  had  an 
ideal  opportunity  of  seeing  the  heart  of  the  people. 
They  lacked  a  certain  external  refinement  seen  among 
the  Siamese;  but  they  seemed  sincere  and  more  re- 
ligious. Buddhism  had  not  become  so  much  a  mat- 
ter of  form.  Many  of  the  older  people  then  spent 
a  day  and  a  night,  or  even  two  days,  each  month  fast- 
ing in  the  monasteries.  There  was  hope  that  if  such 
people  saw  a  better  way,  they  would  accept  it.  One 
officer,  who  lived  just  behind  our  sala,  a  great  merit- 
maker,  was  a  constant  visitor.  Years  afterward  we 
had  the  pleasure  of  welcoming  him  to  the  communion 
of  the  church. 

From  every  point  of  view  the  tour  was  eminently 
successful.  Many  thousands  heard  the  Gospel  for  the 
first  time.  In  our  main  quest  we  were  more  than  suc- 
cessful. We  were  delighted  with  the  country,  the 
cities,  the  people.  Every  place  we  came  to  we  men- 
tally took  possession  of  for  our  Lord  and  Master.  In 
Chiengmai  we  remained  only  ten  days;  but  one  day 
would  have  sufficed  to  convince  us.  I,  at  least,  left 
it  with  the  joyful  hope  of  its  becoming  the  field  of  my 
life-work. 

From  the  first  we  had  planned  to  return  by  the 
river  through  the  rapids.  But  the  prince  in  charge 
was  very  averse  to  our  going  by  that  route.  We 
knew  that  the  route  positively  made  no  difference  to 


PEGHABURI— THE  CALL  OF  THE  NORTH   65 

him  personally.  He  had  only  to  give  the  word,  and 
either  elephants  or  boats  would  be  forthcoming.  Was 
he  afraid  of  our  spying  out  the  road  into  the  country? 
At  last  we  were  obliged  to  insist  on  the  wording  of 
our  letter,  which  specially  mentioned  boats.  Then  he 
offered  us  one  so  small  that  he  probably  thought  we 
would  refuse  it.  But  we  took  it;  and  our  captain 
afterwards  exchanged  it  for  a  larger  one.  We  made 
a  swift  passage  through  the  famous  rapids,  and  reached 
Bangkok  on  January  30th,  1864. 

The  first  news  that  we  heard  on  our  arrival  was 
that  Mrs.  Mattoon  was  obliged  to  leave  at  once  for  the 
United  States,  and  that  Mr.  Wilson  was  to  take  his 
furlough  at  the  same  time.  This,  of  course,  ended  all 
plans  for  any  immediate  removal  to  Chiengmai.  We 
hastened  to  Pechaburi,  where  the  McFarlands  had 
been  alone  during  our  absence.  Three  years  were  to 
pass  before  our  faces  were  again  turned  northward. 


V 

THE  CHARTER  OF  THE  LAO  MISSION 

IN  the  meantime,  with  two  children  added  unto  us, 
we  were  become  a  family  much  more  difficult  to 
move.  We  liked  our  home  and  our  work.  At 
the  age  of  thirty-nine,  to  strike  out  into  a  new  work, 
in  a  language  at  least  partly  new,  was  a  matter  not 
to  be  lightly  undertaken.  Might  it  not  be  better  that 
Mr.  Wilson  should  work  up  in  the  United  States  an 
interest  in  the  new  mission,  should  himself  select  his 
associates  in  it,  and  that  I  should  give  up  my  claim 
to  that  place?  It  was  certain  that  three  families  could 
not  be  spared  for  Chiengmai.  More  than  one  day  was 
spent,  under  the  shade  of  a  great  tree  behind  Wat  Noi, 
in  thought  on  the  subject,  and  in  prayer  for  direc- 
tion. 

Finally — though  it  was  a  hard  thing  to  do — I  wrote 
to  Mr.  Wilson,  then  in  the  United  States,  suggesting 
the  plan  just  stated.  Feeling  sure  that  it  would 
commend  itself  to  him,  I  considered  the  door  to 
Chiengmai  as  probably  closed  to  me.  In  the  mean- 
time Mr.  Wilson  had  married  again;  and  on  the  eve 
of  his  return  wrote  to  me  that  he  had  failed  to  get 
another  family  to  come  out  with  him,  and  was  dis- 
couraged about  the  Chiengmai  mission.  Probably  the 
time  had  not  yet  come,  etc.,  etc.  I  was  delighted  to 
get  that  letter.  It  decided  me  to  go  to  Chiengmai, 
the  Lord  willing,  the  following  dry  season,  with  only 
66 


THE  CHARTER  OF  THE  LAO  MISSION      67 

my  own  family,  if  need  be.  Dr.  Mattoon  and  Dr. 
House  were  absent  on  furlough.  Mr.  Wilson  and  I 
would  be  the  senior  members  of  the  mission.  The 
Board  had  already  given  its  sanction.  The  mission 
in  Bangkok  meanwhile  had  been  reinforced  by  the 
arrival  of  the  Georges  and  the  Gardens.  On  the  return 
of  those  then  absent  on  furlough,  one  of  these  families 
could  join  the  McFarlands  in  PechaburT,  and  jet  there 
would  be  four  families  in  Bangkok.  Such  a  combina- 
tion of  favourable  circumstances  might  not  occur 
again. 

When  Mr.  Wilson  arrived  in  Bangkok  in  the  fall  of 
18G6,  a  letter  was  waiting  for  him,  asking  him  to 
visit  us  in  Pechaburi  to  talk  over  the  question.  On  his 
arrival  we  spent  one  Sunday  in  anxious  consultation. 
He  was  still  eager  to  go  to  Ghiengmai,  but  could  not 
go  that  year.  His  preference  would  be  that  we  should 
wait  another  year.— But  that  might  be  to  lose  the  op- 
portunity. So  next  morning,  leaving  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wilson  to  visit  with  my  family,  I  hurried  over  to 
Bangkok.  There  was  no  time  to  be  lost.  The  Prince 
of  Ghiengmai  had  been  called  down  on  special  busi- 
ness, and  was  soon  to  return.  The  whole  plan  might 
depend  on  him— as,  in  fact,  it  did. 

It  was  after  dark  on  Tuesday  night  when  I  reached 
Dr.  Bradley's,  taking  them  all  by  surprise.  I  made 
known  my  errand.  Another  long  and  anxious  con- 
sultation followed.  I  knew  that  Dr.  Bradley's  great 
missionary  soul  would  not  be  staggered  by  any  per- 
sonal considerations.  It  would  be  but  the  answer  to 
his  own  prayers  to  see  a  mission  planted  in  Ghiengmai. 
In  his  heart  he  was  glad  that  it  was  to  be  planted 
by  one  of  his  own  family.  Earnest  prayer  was  offered 
that  night  at  the  family  altar  for  guidance  in  the 


68   •  AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

negotiations  of  the  following  day,  and  for  a  blessing 
on  the  mission  that  was  to  be. 

On  Wednesday,  after  an  early  breakfast.  Dr.  Brad- 
ley accompanied  me  to  our  mission.  My  colleagues, 
McDonald,  George,  and  Garden,  were  easily  induced 
to  consent.  Mr.  McDonald  said  that  he  would  not  go 
himself;  but  if  I  were  willing  to  risk  my  family,  he 
would  not  oppose  the  scheme,  and  would  vote  to  have 
Mr.  Wilson  follow  me  the  next  year.  Thus  another 
obstacle  was  removed. 

Taking  Mr.  McDonald  and  Mr.  George  with  us,  we 
proceeded  next  to  the  United  States  Consulate,  where 
Mr.  Hood  readily  agreed  to  give  his  official  and  per- 
sonal aid.  The  two  greatest  obstacles  remained  jet: 
the  Siamese  government  and — as  it  turned  out  in  the 
end — the  Lao  Prince  ^  also.  The  Consul  wrote  im- 
mediately to  the  King,  through  our  former  Pechaburi 
friend,  who  had  recently  been  made  Foreign  Minister, 
a  formal  request  for  permission  to  open  a  station  in 
Chiengmai.     It  was  Friday  evening  when  the   reply 

^The  Lao  ruler  was  a  feudal  vassal  of  the  King  of  Slam,  governing 
an  important  frontier  province,  and  granted,  within  that  province, 
some  of  the  powers  which  are  usually  thought  of  as  belonging  to 
sovereignty — notably  the  power  of  life  and  death  in  the  case  of  his 
immediate  subjects.  His  title,  Pra  Chao,  like  its  English  parallel, 
Lord,  he  shared  with  the  deity  as  well  as  with  kings;  though  the 
Kings  of  Siam  claim  the  added  designation,  "Tu  Huu,"  "at  the 
head,"  or  "  Sovereign."  By  the  early  missionaries,  however,  he  was 
regularly  styled  "  King,"  a  term  which  to  us  misrepresents  his  real 
status,  and  which  leads  to  much  confusion  both  of  personality  and 
of  function.  Meantime  both  title  and  function  have  vanished  with 
the  feudal  order  of  which  they  were  a  part,  leaving  us  free  to  seek 
for  our  narrative  a  less  misleading  term.  Such  a  term  seems  to  be 
the  word  Prince,  thus  defined  in  Murray's  Dictionary  (s.  v.  II.  5):— 
"The  ruler  of  a  principality  or  small  state,  actually,  nominally,  or 
originally,  a  feudatory  of  a  king  or  emperor."  The  capital  initial 
should  suffice  generally  to  distinguish  the  Prince  who  is  ruler  from 
princes  who  are  such  merely  by  accident  of  birth. — Ed. 


THE  CHARTER  OF  THE  LAO  MISSION       G9 

came  that  the  decision  did  not  rest  with  the  King. 
He  could  not  force  a  mission  upon  the  Lao  people. 
But  the  Lao  Prince  was  then  in  Bangkok.  If  he  gave 
his  consent,  the  Siamese  government  would  give  theirs. 
He  suggested  that  we  have  an  audience  with  the 
Prince,  at  which  His  Majesty  would  have  an  officer  in 
attendance  to  report  directly  to  him. 

So  on  Saturday  morning  at  ten  o'clock  we  all  ap- 
peared at  the  landing  where  the  Lao  boats  were 
moored,  asking  for  an  audience  with  the  Prince.  We 
were  invited  to  await  him  in  the  sala  at  the  river 
landing.  In  a  few  moments  His  Highness  came  up  in 
his  customary  informal  attire— a  pJidnung  about  his 
loins,  no  jacket,  a  scarf  thrown  loosely  over  his  shoul- 
ders, and  a  little  cane  in  his  hand.  Having  shaken 
hands  with  us,  he  seated  himself  in  his  favourite  at- 
titude, dangling  his  right  leg  over  his  left  knee.  He 
asked  our  errand.  At  Mr.  Hood's  request  Dr.  Brad- 
ley explained  our  desire  to  establish  a  mission  sta- 
tion in  Chiengmai,  and  our  hope  to  secure  his  ap- 
proval. The  Prince  seemed  relieved  to  find  that  our 
errand  involved  nothing  more  serious  than  that.  The 
mission  station  was  no  new  question  suddenly  sprung 
upon  him.  We  had  more  than  once  spoken  with  him 
about  it,  and  always  apparently  with  his  approbation. 
To  all  our  requests  he  now  gave  ready  assent.  Yes, 
we  might  establish  ourselves  in  Chiengmai.  Land  was 
cheap;  we  need  not  even  buy  it.  Timber  was  cheap. 
There  would  be,  of  course,  the  cost  of  cutting  and 
hauling  it;  but  not  much  more.  We  could  build  our 
houses  of  brick  or  of  wood,  as  we  pleased.  It  was  ex- 
plained, as  he  already  knew,  that  our  object  was  to 
teach  religion,  to  establish  schools,  and  to  care  for  the 
sick.     The  King's  secretary  took  down  the  replies  of 


70      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

the  Prince  to  our  questions.  The  Consul  expressed 
his  gratitude,  and  committed  my  family  to  his  gracious 
care.  We  were  to  follow  the  Prince  to  Chiengmai  as 
soon  as  possible. 

Such  was  the  outward  scene  and  circumstance  of  the 
official  birth  of  the  Lao  mission.  In  itself  it  was 
ludicrous  enough :  the  audience  chamber,  a  sala- 
landing  under  the  shadow  of  a  Buddhist  monastery; 
the  Consul  in  his  official  uniform;  the  Prince  en 
desliahille;  our  little  group  awaiting  the  answer  on 
which  depended  the  royal  signature  of  Somdet  Phra 
Paramendr  Maha  Mongkut  authorizing  the  establish- 
ment of  a  Christian  mission.  The  answer  was,  Yes. 
I  was  myself  amazed  at  the  success  of  the  week's 
work.  On  the  part  both  of  the  Siamese  government 
and  of  the  Lao  Prince,  it  was  an  act  of  grace  hardly 
to  be  expected,  though  quite  in  keeping  with  the  lib- 
erality of  the  truly  great  king  who  opened  his  country 
to  civilization  and  to  Christianity.  And  the  Lao 
Prince,  with  all  his  faults,  had  some  noble  and  gener- 
ous traits  of  character. 

Later  in  the  day  I  called  alone  to  tell  the  Prince 
that  as  soon  as  I  could  after  the  close  of  the  rainy 
season,  I  would  come  with  my  family.  After  the  in- 
tense excitement  of  the  week,  I  spent  a  quiet  Sabbath 
in  Dr.  Bradley's  family,  and  on  Monday  morning  could 
say,  as  did  Abraham's  servant,  "  Hinder  me  not,  seeing 
the  Lord  hath  prospered  me."  Taking  the  afternoon 
tide,  I  hastened  home  to  report  the  success  of  my  trip, 
to  close  my  work  in  Pechaburi,  and  to  make  prepara- 
tion for  a  new  station,  which  was  soon  to  be  a  new 
mission. 

The  work  in  hand  was  easily  turned  over  to  Mr.  Mc- 
Farland,  an  earnest  and  successful  worker,  who  had 


THE  CHARTER  OF  THE  LAO  MISSION      71 

become  specially  gifted  in  the  Siamese  language.  The 
Presbytery  was  to  meet  in  Bangkok  in  November.  The 
last  busy  weeks  passed  rapidly  away.  At  their  end  we 
bade  good-bye  to  our  home  and  friends  in  Pechaburi. 

Friends  in  Bangkok  gave  us  their  hearty  assistance. 
The  Ladies'  Sewing  Society  made  a  liberal  contribu- 
tion to  the  new  mission.  Dr.  James  Campbell  sup- 
plied us  with  medicines  and  a  book  of  instructions  how 
to  use  them.  The  German  Consul  gave  us  a  Prussian 
rifle  for  our  personal  protection.  All  our  missionary 
friends  added  their  good  wishes  and  their  prayers. 

We  had  great  difficulty  in  securing  suitable  boats 
and  crews  for  the  journey.  On  January  3d,  18G7,  we 
embarked,  leaving  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  to  follow  us 
the  next  year.  Mr.  George  accompanied  us  as  far 
as  Rah^ng.  The  trip  is  always  a  slow  one,  but  we  en- 
joyed it.  My  rifle  was  useful  in  securing  pelicans 
and  other  large  birds  for  food.  Once  I  fired  into  a 
large  flock  of  pelicans  on  the  river  and  killed  three 
with  a  single  shot.  Fish  everywhere  abounded.  My 
shotgun  furnished  pigeons  and  other  small  game.  The 
trip  afl:orded  fine  opportunity  for  evangelistic  work. 
Nothing  of  the  sort  had  ever  been  done  there  save  the 
little  which  Mr.  Wilson  and  I  had  attempted  on  our 
earlier  trip. 

Raheng  was  reached  in  four  weeks.  There  we  dis- 
missed the  boats  that  had  brought  us  from  Bangkok, 
and  procured,  instead,  two  large  ones  of  the  sort  used 
in  up-country  travel.  We  should  have  done  better 
with  three  of  smaller  size.  We  spent  nearly  a  month 
in  toiling  up  the  thirty-two  rapids.  At  one  of  them 
we  were  delayed  from  Friday  noon  till  Tuesday  after- 
noon. At  another,  to  avoid  the  furious  current  of 
the  main  river,  we  attempted  a  small  channel  at  one 


72     AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

side.  As  we  slowly  worked  our  way  along,  the  water 
in  our  channel  became  shallower  and  shallower,  till  we 
had  to  resort  to  a  system  of  extemporized  locks.  A 
temporary  dam  was  built  behind  the  boat.  The  re- 
sulting slight  rise  of  water  would  enable  us  to  drag 
the  boat  a  little  further,  till  again  it  was  stranded — 
when  the  process  would  have  to  be  repeated.  After 
two  days  of  hard  work  at  this,  our  boatmen  gave  up 
in  despair.  A  Chiengmai  prince  on  his  way  to  Bang- 
kok found  us  in  this  extremity,  and  gave  us  an  order 
to  secure  help  at  the  nearest  village.  To  send  the 
letter  up  and  to  bring  the  boatmen  down  would  re- 
quire nearly  a  week.     But  there  was  nothing  else  to  do. 

My  rifle  helped  me  somewhat  to  while  away  the  time 
of  this  idle  waiting.  We  could  hear  tigers  about  us 
every  night.  I  used  to  skirt  about  among  the  moun- 
tain ridges  and  brooks,  half  hoping  to  shoot  one  of 
them.  Since  my  rifle  was  not  a  repeater,  it  was  no 
doubt  best  that  my  ambition  was  not  gratified.  Once, 
taking  a  Siamese  lad  with  me,  I  strayed  further  and 
returned  later  than  usual.  It  was  nearly  dark  when 
we  got  back  to  the  boats,  and  supper  was  waiting. 
Before  we  had  finished  our  meal,  the  boatmen  caught 
sight  of  the  glowing  eyes  of  a  tiger  that  had  followed 
our  trail  to  the  further  bank  of  the  river,  whence  we 
had  crossed  to  our  boat. 

One  of  the  boat  captains  professed  to  be  able  to  call 
up  either  deer  or  tiger,  if  one  were  within  hearing.  By 
doubling  a  leaf  together,  and  with  thumb  and  finger 
on  either  side  holding  the  two  edges  tense  between  his 
lips  while  he  blew,  he  would  produce  a  sound  so  nearly 
resembling  the  cry  of  a  young  goat  or  deer,  that  a  doe 
within  reach  of  the  call,  he  claimed,  would  run  to  the 
rescue  of  her  young,  or  a  tiger,  hearing  it,  would  run 


THE  CHARTER  OF  THE  LAO  MISSION      73 

to  secure  the  prey.  The  two  captains  and  I  one  day 
went  up  on  a  ridge,  and,  selecting  an  open  triangular 
space,  posted  ourselves  back  to  back,  facing  in  three 
directions,  with  our  guns  in  readiness.  The  captain 
had  sounded  his  call  only  two  or  three  times,  when 
suddenly  a  large  deer  rushed  furiously  up  from  the 
direction  toward  which  one  of  the  captains  was  facing. 
A  fallen  log  was  lying  about  twenty  paces  off  on  the 
edge  of  our  open  space.  The  excited  animal  stopped 
behind  it,  his  lower  parts  concealed,  but  with  back, 
shoulder,  neck,  and  head  fully  exposed.  Our  captain 
fired  away,  but  was  so  excited  that  he  would  have 
missed  an  elephant.  His  bullet  entered  the  log  some 
six  inches  below  the  top.  In  an  instant  the  deer  was 
gone.  We  found  not  far  off  the  spot  where  evidently 
a  young  deer  had  been  devoured  by  a  tiger.  We  tried 
the  experiment  a  number  of  times  later,  but  with  no 
success. 

After  we  had  waited  two  days  and  nights  for  help 
from  the  village  above,  on  the  third  night  the  spirits 
came  to  our  rescue.  Either  with  their  ears  or  in 
their  imaginations,  our  crew  heard  strange  noises  in 
the  rocks  and  trees  about  them,  which  they  interpreted 
as  a  warning  from  the  spirits  to  be  gone.  Next  morn- 
ing, after  consultation  together,  they  made  another 
desperate  effort,  and  got  the  boats  off.  It  was  still 
several  days  before  we  met  the  men  that  came  down 
in  response  to  the  prince's  order.  But  some  of  the 
worst  rapids  were  yet  before  us.  We  could  hardly 
have  got  through  without  their  aid. 

The  efforts  of  a  single  crew,  it  must  be  remembered, 
are  utterly  inadequate  to  bring  a  boat  up  through 
any  of  these  rapids.  Only  by  combining  two  or  three 
crews  can  the  boats  be  brought  up  one  by  one.     Some 


74      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

of  the  men  are  on  tlie  bank,  tugging  at  the  tow-rope 
while  they  clamber  over  rocks  and  struggle  through 
bushes.  Some  are  on  board,  bending  to  their  poles. 
Others  are  up  to  their  waists  in  the  rushing  water,  by 
main  force  fending  off  the  boat  from  being  dashed 
against  the  rocks.  On  one  occasion  I  myself  had  made 
the  passage  in  the  first  boat,  which  then  was  left 
moored  in  quieter  waters.  The  crew  went  back  to 
bring  up  the  second  boat,  in  which  were  my  wife  and 
children.  With  anxious  eyes  I  was  watching  the 
struggle;  when,  suddenly,  in  the  fiercest  rush  of  the 
current,  the  men  lost  control  of  her.  Boat  and 
passengers  were  drifting  with  full  force  straight 
against  a  wall  of  solid  rock  on  the  opposite  bank.  It 
seemed  as  if  nothing  could  save  them.  But  one  of  the 
fleetest  boatmen,  with  rope  in  hand,  swam  to  a  rock 
in  midstream,  and  took  a  turn  of  the  rope  about  it, 
just  in  time  to  prevent  what  would  have  been  a 
tragedy. 

At  night,  about  camp-fires  on  the  river  bank,  we  were 
regaled  by  the  boatmen  with  legends  of  the  country 
through  which  we  were  passing.  One  of  these  legends 
concerned  the  lofty  mountain  which  rises  above  the 
rapid  called  Keng  Soi,  where  we  were  camped.  The 
story  was  that  on  its  summit  there  had  been  in  ancient 
times  a  city  of  setts  (millionaires),  Avho  paid  a  gold 
fuang  (two  dollars)  a  bucket  for  all  the  water  brought 
up  for  their  use.  It  was  said  that  remains  of  their 
city,  and  particularly  an  aged  cocoanut  tree,  were  still 
to  be  seen  on  the  summit. 

Since  it  would  take  our  boatmen  at  least  two  days 
to  surmount  that  rapid,  I  resolved  to  attempt  the 
ascent,  and  either  verify  or  explode  the  story.  Start- 
ing at  early  dawn  with  my  young  Siamese,  zigzagging 


THE  CHARTER  OF  THE  LAO  MISSION        75 

back  and  forth  on  the  slope  all  that  long  forenoon,  I 
struggled  upward — often  despairing  of  success,  but 
ashamed  to  turn  back.  At  last  we  stood  on  the  top, 
but  it  was  noon  or  later.  We  spent  two  or  three  hours 
in  search  of  the  cocoanut  tree  or  other  evidence  of 
human  settlement,  but  all  in  vain.  I  was  satisfied 
that  we  were  the  first  of  human  kind  that  had  ever  set 
foot  on  that  lofty  summit.  We  had  brought  lunch — 
but  no  water!  Most  willingly  would  we  have  given  a 
silver  fuang  for  a  draught. 

The  legend  of  the  rapids  themselves  was  one  of  the 
most  interesting.  At  the  edge  of  the  plain  above  the 
rapids  there  is  pointed  out  a  wall  of  rock  dropping 
fully  a  hundred  feet  sheer  to  the  water's  edge.  The 
story  goes  that  in  ancient  times  a  youth  made  love  to 
the  Prince's  daughter.  The  course  of  true  love  did 
not  run  smooth ;  the  father  forbade  the  suit.  The  lov- 
ers resolved  to  make  their  escape.  The  young  man 
mounted  his  steed  with  his  bride  behind  him,  and 
together  they  fled.  But  soon  the  enraged  father  was 
in  hot  pursuit.  They  reached  the  river-brink  at  the 
top  of  the  precipice,  with  the  father  in  plain  sight  be- 
hind them.  But  there  the  lover's  heart  failed  him. 
He  could  not  take  that  leap.  The  maiden  then  begged 
to  exchange  places  with  her  lover.  She  mounted  in 
front;  tied  her  scarf  over  her  eyes;  put  spurs  to  the 
horse;  and  took  the  fatal  leap.  To  this  day  the  vari- 
ous rapids  are  mostly  named  from  various  portions  of 
the  equipage  which  are  supposed  to  have  drifted  down 
the  stream  and  lodged  upon  the  rocks. 

Lao  witchcraft  was  another  favourite  theme  of  our 
Raheng  boatmen.  They  were  very  much  afraid  of  the 
magical  powers  of  wizards;  and  evidently  believed 
that  the  wizards  could  readily  despatch  any  who  of- 


76      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

fended  them.  They  could  insert  a  mass  of  rawhide 
into  one's  stomach,  which  would  produce  death,  and 
which  could  not  be  consumed  by  fire  when  the  body  was 
cremated.  They  could  make  themselves  invisible  and 
invulnerable.  No  sword  could  penetrate  their  flesh, 
and  a  bullet  fired  at  them  would  drop  harmless  from 
the  mouth  of  the  gun. 

But  we  have  lingered  too  long  among  the  rapids. 
Some  distance  above  the  last  one  the  mountains  on 
either  side  recede  from  the  river,  and  enclose  the  great 
plain  of  Chiengmai  and  Lampun.  Both  passengers 
and  boatmen  draw  a  long  breath  of  relief  when  it 
opens  out.  The  glorious  sun  again  shines  all  day. 
The  feathery  plumes  of  the  graceful  bamboo  clumps 
are  a  delight  to  the  eye,  and  give  variety  to  the  other- 
wise tame  scenery.  But  the  distant  mountains  are 
always  in  sight. 

The  season  was  advancing.  The  further  we  went, 
the  shallower  grew  the  stream.  Long  before  we 
reached  Chiengmai,  we  had  to  use  canoes  to  lighten 
our  boats;  but  presently  a  seasonable  rise  in  the  river 
came  to  our  aid.  On  Saturday  evening,  April  1st, 
1867,  we  moored  our  boats  beside  a  mighty  banyan 
tree,  whose  spreading  arms  shaded  a  space  more  than 
a  hundred  feet  wide.  It  stands  opposite  the  large 
island  which  forty  years  later  the  government  turned 
over  to  Dr.  McKean  of  our  mission  for  a  leper  asylum. 
Stepping  out  a  few  paces  from  under  its  shade,  one 
could  see  across  the  fields  the  pagoda-spires  of  Chieng- 
mai. There,  prayerfully  and  anxiously,  we  spent  the 
thirteenth  and  last  Sunday  of  our  long  journey,  not 
knowing  what  the  future  might  have  in  store  for  us. 


A    REST    BETWEEN    RAPIDS    IN    THE    GORGE    OF    THE 
ME    PING    RIVER 


POLING    UP    THE    ME    PING    RIVER 


VI 

CHIENGMAI 

ON  Monday  morning,  April  3d,  1867,  we  reached 
the  city.  We  had  looked  forward  to  the  ar- 
rival as  a  welcome  rest  after  the  long  confine- 
ment of  our  journey  in  the  boat.  But  it  was  only  the 
beginning  of  troubles.  We  were  not  coming  to  an 
established  station  with  houses  and  comforts  pre- 
pared by  predecessors.  The  Prince  was  off  on  a  mili- 
tary expedition,  not  to  be  back  for  over  a  month. 
Till  he  came,  nothing  could  be  done.  We  could  not 
secure  a  house  to  shelter  us,  for  there  was  none  to  be 
had.  Just  outside  the  eastern  gate  of  the  city,  how- 
ever, a  sala  for  public  use  had  recently  been  built  by 
an  oflScer  from  Raheng,  to  "  make  merit,"  according  to 
Buddhist  custom.  He  had  still  a  quasi  claim  upon  it, 
and,  with  the  consent  of  the  Prince's  representative, 
he  offered  it  to  us.  It  was  well  built,  with  tile  roof  and 
teak  floor,  was  enclosed  on  three  sides,  and  opened 
in  front  on  a  six-foot  veranda.  In  that  one  room,  some 
twelve  feet  by  twenty,  all  our  belongings  were  stored. 
It  served  for  bedroom,  parlour,  dining-room,  and  study. 
In  it  tables,  chairs,  bedstead,  organ,  boxes,  and  trunks 
were  all  piled  one  upon  another.  A  bamboo  kitchen 
and  a  bathroom  were  presently  extemporized  in  the 
yard.    That  was  our  home  for  more  than  a  year. 

The  news  of  the  arrival  of  white  foreigners  soon 
spread  far  and  wide.    It  was  not  known  how  long  they 
77 


78      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

would  remaiD ;  and  the  eagerness  of  all  classes  to  get 
sight  of  them  before  they  should  be  gone  was  ab- 
solutely ludicrous,  even  when  most  annoying,  "  There 
is  a  white  woman  and  children !  We  must  go  and  see 
them."  Our  visitors  claimed  all  the  immunities  of 
backwoodsmen  who  know  no  better.  In  etiquette  and 
manners  they  well  deserved  that  name.  Within  a  few 
feet  of  the  sala  was  a  rickety  plank-walk  leading  over 
marshy  ground  to  the  city.  Everybody  had  to  pass 
that  way,  and  everybody  must  stop.  When  the  ve- 
randa was  filled,  they  would  crowd  up  on  the  ground 
in  front  as  long  as  they  could  get  sight  of  anybody 
or  anything.  If  to-day  the  crowd  prevented  a  good 
view,  they  would  call  to-morrow.  The  favourite  time 
of  all  was,  of  course,  our  meal-time,  to  see  how  and 
what  the  foreigners  ate.  Almost  never  in  the  daytime 
could  we  sit  down  to  a  quiet  meal  without  lookers-on. 
It  was  not  uncommon  for  our  visitors  to  pick  up  a 
knife  or  a  fork  or  even  the  bread,  and  ask  what  that 
was.  "  They  don't  sit  on  the  floor  to  eat,  nor  use  their 
fingers,  as  we  do !  " 

This,  however,  is  only  one  side  of  the  picture.  In 
one  sense  we  were  partly  to  blame  for  our  discom- 
fort. We  could  soon  have  dispersed  the  crowd  by 
giving  them  to  understand  that  their  presence  was  not 
wanted.  But  we  ourselves  were  on  trial.  If  we  had 
got  the  name  of  being  ill-natured  or  ungracious,  they 
would  have  left  us,  probably  never  to  return.  No. 
This  was  what  we  were  there  for.  It  gave  us  con- 
stant opportunities  from  daylight  till  dark  to  pro- 
claim the  Gospel  message.  The  first  and  commonest 
question,  who  we  were  and  what  was  our  errand, 
brought  us  at  once  to  the  point.  We  were  come  with 
messages  of  mercy  and  with  offer  of  eternal  life  from 


CHIENGMAI  79 

the  great  God  and  Saviour.  We  were  come  with  a 
revelation  of  our  Heavenly  Father  to  His  wandering 
and  lost  children.  While  the  mass  of  our  visitors 
came  from  curiosity,  some  came  to  learn;  and  many 
who  came  from  curiosity  went  away  pondering  whether 
these  things  were  so.  Friendships  also  were  formed 
which  stood  us  in  good  stead  afterwards  when  we 
sorely  needed  friends.  During  our  time  of  persecu- 
tion these  persons  would  come  in  by  stealth  to  speak 
a  word  of  comfort,  when  they  dared  not  do  so  openly. 

As  the  annoyance  of  those  days  fell  most  heavily 
on  the  nerves  of  my  wife,  it  was  a  comfort  to  learn 
afterwards  that  possibly  the  very  first  convert  heard 
the  Gospel  message  first  from  her  lips,  while  she  was 
addressing  a  crowd  of  visitors  very  soon  after  our  ar- 
rival. Reference  will  be  made  to  him  later,  but  it 
may  be  said  here  that  from  the  day  when  he  first  heard 
the  news,  he  never  again  worshipped  an  idol. 

Whatever  was  their  object  in  coming  to  see  us,  we 
soon  gave  every  crowd,  and  nearly  every  visitor,  to 
understand  what  we  had  come  for.  We  had  come  as 
teachers — primarily  as  teachers  of  a  way  of  salvation 
for  sinners.  And  we  never  addressed  a  crowd  of 
thoughtfiil  men  or  women  who  did  not  readily  confess 
that  they  were  sinners,  and  needed  a  saviour  from  sin. 
But  we  were  not  merely  teachers  of  religion,  though 
primarily  such.  We  could  often,  if  not  usually,  better 
teach  religion — or,  at  least,  could  better  lead  up  to  it — 
by  teaching  geography  or  astronomy.  A  little  globe 
that  I  had  brought  along  was  often  my  text. 

I  presume  that  most  Christian  people  in  America 
have  a  very  crude  idea  of  the  method  of  preaching  the 
Gospel  often,  or,  perhaps,  generally,  used  by  mission- 
aries, i)articularly  in  new  fields.     If  they  think  that 


80      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

the  bell  is  rung,  that  the  people  assemble  in  orderly 
fashion,  and  take  their  seats,  that  a  hymn  is  sung, 
prayer  offered,  the  Scripture  read,  a  sermon  delivered, 
and  the  congregation  dismissed  with  the  doxology  and 
benediction, — they  are  very  much  mistaken.  All  that 
comes  in  time.  We  have  lived  to  see  it  come  in  this 
land — thanks  to  God's  blessing  upon  work  much  more 
desultory  than  that.  Long  after  the  time  we  are  now 
speaking  of,  one  could  talk  of  religion  to  the  people  by 
the  hour,  or  even  by  the  day;  one  might  sing  hymns, 
might  solemnly  utter  prayer,  in  response  to  inquiry  as 
to  how  we  worshipped — and  they  would  listen  respect- 
fully and  with  interest.  But  if  public  worship  had 
been  announced,  and  these  same  people  had  been  in- 
vited to  remain,  every  soul  would  have  fled  away  for 
fear  of  being  caught  in  some  trap  and  made  Christians 
without  their  consent,  or  for  fear  of  being  made  to 
suffer  the  consequences  of  being  reputed  Christians  be- 
fore they  were  ready  to  take  that  step.  Forty  years 
later  than  the  time  we  are  now  speaking  of,  I  have 
seen  people  who  were  standing  about  the  church  door 
and  looking  in,  driven  quite  away  by  the  mere  in- 
vitation to  come  in  and  be  seated. 

In  one  sense  our  work  during  the  first  year  was  very 
desultory.  I  had  always  to  shape  my  instruction  to 
the  individuals  before  me.  It  would  often  be  in  an- 
swer to  questions  as  to  where  was  our  country ;  in  what 
direction;  how  one  would  travel  to  get  there;  could 
one  go  there  on  foot;  and  so  on.  Or  the  question 
might  be  as  to  the  manners  and  customs  of  our  na- 
tion; or  it  might  be  directly  on  religion  itself.  But 
as  all  roads  lead  to  Rome,  so  all  subjects  may  be  turned 
to  Christ,  His  cross,  and  His  salvation. 

Of  the  friends  found  in  those  early  days  I  must 


GHIENGMAI  81 

mention  two.  One  was  Princess  Bua  Kam,  the  mother 
of  the  late  and  last  Lao  Prince,  Chao  Intanon.  At 
our  first  acquaintance,  she  formed  for  us  a  warm 
friendship  that  lasted  till  her  death.  Nor  could  I  ever 
discover  any  other  ground  for  her  friendship  than  the 
fact  that  we  were  religious  teachers.  She  was  herself 
a  devout  Buddhist,  and  continued  to  the  last  her  of- 
ferings in  the  monasteries.  I  believe  that  the  Gospel 
plan  of  salvation  struck  a  chord  in  her  heart  which 
her  own  religion  never  did.  From  Buddha  she  got  no 
assurance  of  pardon.  The  assurance  that  pardon  is 
possible  in  itself  seemed  to  give  her  hope,  though  by 
what  process  a  logical  mind  could  hardly  see,  so  long 
as  she  held  on  to  a  system  which,  as  she  confessed, 
did  not  and  could  not  give  pardon.  She  was  always 
pleased  to  hear  the  story  of  the  incarnation,  the  birth, 
life,  and  miracles  of  Christ.  She  was  deeply  touched 
by  the  recital  of  His  sufferings,  persecutions,  and  death. 
Illustrations  of  the  substitutionary  efficacy  of  His  suf- 
ferings she  readily  understood.  She  acknowledged  her 
god  to  be  a  man  who,  by  the  well-nigh  endless  road  to 
nirvana,  had  ceased  to  suffer  by  ceasing  to  exist.  The 
only  claim  he  had  to  warrant  his  pointing  out  the  way 
to  others  was  the  fact  that  he  had  passed  over  it  him- 
self. There  was  one  ground,  however,  on  which  she 
felt  that  she  might  claim  the  comfort  both  of  the 
doctrines  which  she  still  held  and  of  ours,  too.  A 
favourite  theory  of  hers — and  of  many  others — was 
that,  after  all,  we  worship  the  same  God  under  dif- 
ferent names.  She  called  hers  Buddha,  and  we  call 
ours  Jehovah-Jesus. 

She  had  by  nature  a  woman's  tender  heart.  Benev- 
olence had  doubtless  been  developed  in  her  by  her  re- 
ligion, till  it  had  become  a  second  nature.    The  gifts 


82      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

she  loved  to  make  were  also  a  means  of  lajing  up  a 
store  of  merit  for  the  future.  She  was  most  liberal  in 
sending  us  tokens  of  remembrance.  These  were  not 
of  much  value.  A  quart  of  white  rice,  a  few  oranges, 
cucumbers,  or  cocoanuts  on  a  silver  tray,  were  so  cus- 
tomary a  sight  that,  if  ever  any  length  of  time  elapsed 
without  them,  we  wondered  if  the  Princess  were  ill. 
And,  on  the  other  hand,  if  for  any  cause  my  calls  were 
far  apart,  she  would  be  sure  to  send  to  enquire  if  I 
were  ill.  The  "  cup  of  cold  water  "  which  she  thus  so 
often  pressed  to  our  lips,  I  am  sure,  was  given  for  the 
Master's  sake. 

Another  remarkable  friendship  formed  during  that 
first  year  was  that  of  a  Buddhist  monk,  abbot  of  the 
Umong  monastery.  As  in  the  other  case,  there  was  no 
favour  to  ask,  no  axe  to  grind.  He  never  made  a  re- 
quest for  anything,  unless  it  were  for  a  book.  But  the 
little  novice  who  attended  him  almost  always  brought 
a  cocoanut  or  some  other  small  present  for  us.  Very 
early  in  our  acquaintance  he  came  to  see  that  the  uni- 
verse could  not  be  self-existent,  as  Buddhism  teaches. 
On  his  deeply  religious  nature  the  sense  of  sin  weighed 
heavily.  He  was  well  versed  in  the  Buddhist  scrip- 
tures, and  knew  that  there  was  no  place  for  pardon  in 
all  that  system.  He  understood  the  plan  of  salvation 
ofifered  to  men  through  the  infinite  merit  of  Jesus 
Christ.  At  times  he  would  argue  that  it  was  impos- 
sible. But  the  thought  that,  after  all,  it  might  be 
possible,  afforded  him  a  gleam  of  hope  that  he  saw 
nowhere  else;  and  he  was  not  willing  to  renounce  it 
altogether. 

During  the  dark  months  that  followed  the  martyr- 
dom of  our  native  Christians,  when  many  who  were 
true  friends  deemed  it  unwise  to  let  their  sympathy 


CHIENGMAI  83 

be  known,  the  good  abbot  visited  us  regularly,  as,  in- 
deed, he  continued  to  do  as  long  as  he  lived.  At  times 
I  had  strong  hopes  that  he  would  leave  the  priesthood. 
But  he  never  could  quite  see  his  way  to  do  that, 
though  he  maintained  that  he  never  ceased  to  worship 
Jesus.  The  only  likeness,  alas !  that  I  have  of  his  dear 
old  face  is  a  photograph  taken  after  death,  as  his  body 
lay  ready  for  cremation.  Unto  whom,  if  not  unto  such 
true  friends  of  His  as  these,  was  it  said,  "  I  was  a 
hungered,  and  ye  gave  Me  meat;  I  was  thirsty,  and  ye 
gave  Me  drink;  I  was  in  prison,  and  ye  visited  Me. — 
Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least 
of  these  My  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  Me  "  ? 


VII 

PIONEER  WORK 

THE  military  expedition  in  which  the  Prince  was 
engaged  detained  him  in  the  field  until  some 
time  in  May.  It  was  one  of  many  unsuccessful 
attempts  to  capture  a  notorious  Ngio  chieftain  who, 
turning  outlaw  and  robber,  had  gathered  about  him  a 
band  of  desperadoes,  with  whom  he  sallied  forth  from 
his  mountain  fastness,  raiding  innocent  villages  and 
carrying  off  the  plunder  to  his  stronghold,  before  any 
force  could  be  gathered  to  withstand  or  to  pursue  him. 
In  this  way  he  kept  the  whole  country  in  constant 
alarm  during  the  earlier  years  of  our  stay  in  Chieng- 
mai.  What  made  matters  worse  was  the  fact — as  the 
Lao  firmly  believed — that  he  had  a  charmed  life,  that 
he  could  render  himself  invisible,  and  that  no  weapon 
could  penetrate  his  flesh.  Had  not  the  stockade 
within  which  he  had  taken  shelter  been  completely  sur- 
rounded one  night  by  a  cordon  of  armed  men,  and  at 
dawn,  when  he  was  to  have  been  captured,  he  was  no- 
where to  be  found?  Such  was  the  man  of  whom  we 
shall  hear  more  further  on. 

At  the  Lao  New  Year  it  is  customary  for  all  persons 
of  princely  rank,  all  officers  and  people  of  influence,  to 
present  their  compliments  to  the  Prince  in  person,  and 
to  take  part  in  the  ceremony  of  '^  Dam  Hiia,"  by  way 
of  wishing  him  a  Happy  New  Year.  Because  of  the 
Prince's  absence  in  the  field,  this  ceremony  could  not 
be  observed  at  the  regular  time;  but  it  was  none  the 


PIONEER  WORK  85 

less  brilliantly  carried  out  a  few  days  after  his  return. 
The  name,  Dam  Hiia,  means  "  bathing  the  head  "  or 
"  head-bath,"  and  it  is  really  a  ceremonial  bathing  or 
baptism  of  the  Prince's  head  with  water  poured  upon 
it,  first  by  princes  and  oflficials  in  the  order  of  their 
rank,  and  so  on  down  to  his  humblest  subjects. 

The  first  and  more  exclusive  part  of  the  ceremony 
took  place  in  the  palace,  where  I  also  was  privileged 
to  offer  my  New  Year's  greetings  with  the  rest.  The 
great  reception-hall  was  crowded  with  the  Prince's 
family  and  with  officials  of  all  degrees.  The  air  was 
heavy  with  the  fragrance  of  flowers  which  loaded  every 
table  and  stand.  All  were  in  readiness  with  their  sil- 
ver vessels  filled  with  water,  awaiting  His  Highness'  ap- 
pearance. At  length  an  officer  with  a  long  silver- 
handled  spear  announced  his  coming.  The  whole  com- 
pany received  him  with  lowest  prostration  after  the 
old-time  fashion.  Seeing  me  standing,  he  sent  for  a 
chair,  saying  that  the  ceremony  was  long,  and  I 
would  be  tired.  The  Court  Orator,  or  Scribe,  then 
read  a  long  address  of  welcome  to  the  Prince  on  his 
return  from  his  brilliant  expedition,  with  high-sound- 
ing compliments  on  its  success.  Then  there  was  a  long 
invocation  of  all  the  powers  above  or  beneath,  real  or 
imaginary,  not  to  molest,  but  instead  to  protect,  guide, 
and  bless  His  Highness'  person,  kingdom,  and  people, 
with  corresponding  curses  invoked  on  all  his  enemies 
and  theirs.  Then  came  the  ceremonial  bath,  admin- 
istered first  by  his  own  family,  his  relatives,  and  high 
officials — he  standing  while  vase  after  vase  of  water 
was  poured  on  his  head,  drenching  him  completely 
and  flooding  all  the  floor.  It  is  a  ceremony  not  at  all 
unpleasant  in  a  hot  climate,  however  unendurable  it 
might  be  in  colder  regions. 


86      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

This  was  the  beginning.  According  to  immemorial 
custom,  a  booth  was  prepared  on  a  sand-bar  in  the 
river.  To  this,  after  the  ceremony  in  the  palace,  the 
Prince  went  in  full  state,  riding  on  an  elephant  richly 
caparisoned  with  trappings  of  solid  gold,  to  receive  a 
like  bath  at  the  hands  of  his  loyal  subjects — beginning, 
as  before,  with  some  high  nobles,  and  then  passing  on 
to  the  common  people,  who  might  all  take  part  in  this 
closing  scene  of  the  strange  ceremony. 

I  was  not  in  the  concourse  at  the  river,  but  watched 
the  procession  from  our  sala,  the  Prince  having  said  to 
me  that  he  would  call  on  his  return.  This  he  did, 
making  us  a  nice  little  visit,  taking  a  cup  of  tea,  and 
listening  to  the  playing  of  some  selections  on  the  organ. 
He  asked  if  I  had  selected  a  place  for  a  permanent 
station,  and  suggested  one  or  two  himself.  But  I  was 
in  no  hurry,  preferring  to  wait  for  the  judgment  of 
Mr.  Wilson  on  his  arrival.  Meanwhile  I  was  assured 
that  I  might  remain  in  the  sala,  and  might  put  up  a 
temporary  house  to  receive  the  new  family.  When  I 
requested  his  consent  to  the  employment  of  a  teacher, 
he  asked  whom  I  thought  of  employing.  I  mentioned 
the  name  of  one,  and  he  said,  "  He  is  not  good.  I  will 
send  you  a  better  one," — and  he  sent  me  his  own 
teacher. 

It  was  a  very  auspicious  beginning.  I  knew  that 
neither  the  Siamese  nor  the  Lao  trusted  the  Prince 
very  thoroughly;  yet  every  time  that  I  saw  him  it 
seemed  to  me  that  I  might  trust  him.  At  any 
rate,  I  did  not  then  look  forward  to  the  scenes  that 
we  were  to  pass  through  before  three  years  were 
gone. 

After  the  first  curiosity  wore  off,  many  of  those  who 
came  to  our  sala  were  patients  seeking  medical  treat- 


PIONEER  WORK  87 

ment.  The  title  "  Maw  "  (doctor)  followed  me  from 
Bangkok,  where  all  missionaries,  I  believe,  are  still  so 
called.  This  name  itself  often  excited  hopes  which, 
of  course,  were  doomed  to  disappointment.  To  the 
ignorant  all  diseases  seem  equally  curable,  if  only  there 
be  the  requisite  skill  or  power.  How  often  during 
those  first  five  years  I  regretted  that  I  was  not  a 
trained  physician  and  surgeon!  My  only  consolation 
was  that  it  was  not  my  fault.  When  my  thoughts 
were  first  turned  towards  missions,  I  consulted  the 
officers  of  our  Board  on  the  wisdom  of  taking  at  least 
a  partial  course  in  preparation  for  my  work.  But 
medical  missions  had  not  then  assumed  the  importance 
they  since  have  won.  In  fact,  just  then  they  were  at  a 
discount.  The  Board  naturally  thought  that  medical 
study  would  be,  for  me  at  least,  a  waste  of  time,  and 
argued  besides  that  in  most  mission  fields  there  were 
English  physicians.  But  it  so  happened  that  eleven 
years  of  my  missionary  life  have  been  spent  in  sta- 
tions from  one  hundred  to  five  hundred  miles  distant 
from  a  physician.  So,  if  any  physician  who  reads 
this  narrative  is  inclined  to  criticise  me  as  a  quack,  I 
beg  such  to  remember  that  I  was  driven  to  it — I  had 
to  do  whatever  I  could  in  the  case  of  illness  in  my 
own  family ;  and  for  pity  I  could  not  turn  away  those 
who  often  had  nothing  but  superstitious  charms  to 
rely  on.  It  was  a  comfort,  moreover,  to  know  that 
in  spite  of  inevitable  disappointments,  our  practice 
of  medicine  made  friends,  and  possibly  enabled  us  to 
maintain  the  field,  at  a  time  when  simply  as  Christian 
teachers  we  could  not  have  done  so.  Even  Prince 
Kawilorot  himself  conceded  so  much  when,  after  for- 
bidding us  to  remain  as  missionaries,  he  said  we  might, 
if  we  wished,  remain  to  treat  the  sick. 


88      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

In  such  a  malarial  country,  there  is  no  estimating 
the  boon  conferred  by  the  introduction  of  quinine  alone. 
Malarial  fevers  often  ran  on  season  after  season,  creat- 
ing an  anaemic  condition  such  that  the  least  exertion 
would  bring  on  the  fever  and  chills  again.  The  aston- 
ishment of  the  people,  therefore,  is  not  surprising  when 
two  or  three  small  powders  of  the  "  white  medicine," 
as  they  called  it,  taken  with  much  misgiving,  would 
cut  short  the  fever,  while  their  own  medicines,  taken 
by  the  potful  for  many  months,  had  failed.  The  few 
bottles  of  quinine  which  it  had  been  thought  sufficient 
to  bring  with  me,  were  soon  exhausted.  The  next 
order  was  for  forty  four-ounce  bottles ;  and  not  till  our 
physicians  at  length  began  to  order  by  the  thousand 
ounces  could  a  regular  supply  be  kept  on  hand.  I 
have  often  been  in  villages  where  every  child,  and 
nearly  every  person,  young  or  old,  had  chills  and  fever, 
till  the  spleen  was  enlarged,  and  the  whole  condition 
such  that  restoration  was  possible  only  after  months  of 
treatment. 

There  was  another  malady  very  common  then — the 
goitre — which  had  never  been  cured  by  any  remedy 
known  to  the  Lao  doctors.  I  soon  learned,  however, 
that  an  ointment  of  potassium  iodide  was  almost  a  spe- 
cific in  the  earlier  stages  of  the  disease.  That  soon  gave 
my  medicine  and  my  treatment  a  reputation  that  no 
regular  physician  could  have  sustained ;  for  the  people 
were  sure  that  one  who  could  cure  the  goitre  must  be 
able  to  cure  any  disease.  If  I  protested  that  I  was 
not  a  doctor,  it  seemed  a  triumphant  answer  to  say, 
"Why,  you  cured  such  a  one  of  the  goitre."  Often 
when  I  declined  to  undertake  the  treatment  of  some 
disease  above  my  skill,  the  patient  would  go  away  say- 
ing, "  I  believe  you  could,  if  you  would." 


PIONEER  WORK  89 

One  other  part  of  my  medical  work  I  must  mention 
here,  since  reference  will  be  made  to  it  later.  The 
ravages  of  smallpox  had  been  fearful,  amounting  at 
times  to  the  destruction  of  a  whole  generation  of 
children.  The  year  before  our  arrival  had  witnessed 
such  a  scourge.  Hardly  a  household  escaped,  and 
many  had  no  children  left.  I  was  specially  interested 
to  prevent  or  to  check  these  destructive  epidemics,  be- 
cause the  Prince  had  seen  the  efficacy  of  vaccination 
as  practised  by  Dr.  Bradley  in  Bangkok,  and  because 
I  felt  sure  that  what  he  had  seen  had  influenced  him 
to  give  his  consent  to  our  coming.  One  of  the  surest 
ways  then  known  of  sending  the  virus  a  long  distance 
was  in  the  form  of  the  dry  scab  from  a  vaccine  pustule. 
When  once  the  virus  had  "  taken,"  vaccination  went 
on  from  arm  to  arm.  Dr.  Bradley  sent  me  the  first 
vaccine  scab.  It  reached  me  during  the  first  season; 
and  vaccination  from  it  ran  a  notable  course. 

The  Karens  and  other  hill  tribes  are  so  fearful  of 
smallpox  that  when  it  comes  near  their  villages,  they 
all  flee  to  the  mountains.  Smallpox  had  broken  out  in 
a  Lao  village  near  a  Karen  settlement.  The  settlement 
was  at  once  deserted.  Meanwhile  the  news  of  the  ef- 
ficacy of  vaccination  had  reached  the  Lao  village,  and 
they  sent  a  messenger  with  an  elephant  to  beg  me  to 
come  and  vaccinate  the  entire  community.  Two  young 
monks  came  also  from  an  adjoining  village,  where  the 
disease  was  already  raging.  These  two  I  vaccinated 
at  once,  and  sent  home,  arranging  to  follow  them  later 
when  their  pustules  should  be  ripe.  From  them  I  vac- 
cinated about  twenty  of  the  villagers.  During  the  fol- 
lowing week  the  Karens  all  returned,  and  in  one  day 
I  vaccinated  one  hundred  and  sixty-three  persons.  It 
was  a  strange  sight  to  see  four  generations  all  vac- 


90      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

cinated  at  one  time — great-grandfathers  holding  out 
their  withered  arms  along  with  babes  a  month  old. 

Success  such  as  this  was  naturally  veiy  flattering 
to  one's  pride;  and  "pride  goeth  before  a  fall."  I 
had  kept  the  Prince  informed  of  the  success  of  my  at- 
tempt, and  naturally  was  anxious  to  introduce  vac- 
cination into  the  palace.  The  patronage  of  the  palace 
would  ensure  its  introduction  into  the  whole  kingdom. 
Having  a  fine  vaccine  pustule  on  the  arm  of  a  healthy 
white  infant  boy,  I  took  him  to  the  palace  to  show  the 
case  to  the  Prince's  daughter,  and  to  her  husband,  who 
was  the  heir-apparent.  They  had  a  little  son  of  about 
the  same  age.  The  parents  were  pleased,  and  sent  me 
with  the  child  to  the  Prince.  As  soon  as  he  saw  the 
pustule,  he  pronounced  it  genuine,  and  was  delighted. 
His  younger  daughter  had  lost  a  child  in  the  epidemic 
of  the  year  before,  and  the  family  was  naturally  very 
anxious  on  the  subject.  He  sent  me  immediately  to 
vaccinate  his  little  grandson. 

I  returned  to  the  palace  of  the  son-in-law,  and  very 
carefully  vaccinated  the  young  prince  on  whom  so 
many  hopes  were  centred.  I  watched  the  case  daily, 
and  my  best  hopes  seemed  realized.  The  pustules  de- 
veloped finely.  All  the  characteristic  symptoms  ap- 
peared and  disappeared  at  the  proper  times.  But 
when  the  scab  was  about  to  fall  off,  the  little  prince 
was  taken  with  diarrhoea.  I  felt  sure  that  a  little 
I)aregoric  or  some  other  simple  remedy  would  speedily 
set  the  child  right,  and  I  offered  to  treat  the  case.  But 
half  a  dozen  doctors — most  of  them  "  spirit-doctors  " 
— were  already  in  attendance.  The  poor  child,  I  verily 
believe,  was  dosed  to  death.  So  evident  was  it  that 
the  unfortunate  outcome  could  not  have  been  the  result 
of  vaccination,  that  both  the  parents  again  and  again 


PIONEER  WORK  91 

assured  me  that  they  entertained  no  such  thought.  But 
all  diseases — as  was  then  universally  believed  among 
the  Lao — are  the  result  of  incurring  the  displeasure 
of  the  '^'  spirits  "  of  the  family  or  of  the  clan.  The 
"  spirits  "  might  have  taken  umbrage  at  the  invasion  of 
their  prerogative  by  vaccination. 

No  doubt  some  such  thought  was  whispered  to  the 
Prince,  and  it  is  not  unnatural  that  he  should  at  least 
have  half  believed  it.  In  his  grief  at  the  loss  of  his 
grandson,  it  is  easy  to  see  how  that  thought  may  have 
fanned  his  jealousy  at  the  growing  influence  of  the 
missionaries. 

No  year  ever  passed  more  rapidly  or  more  pleas- 
antly than  that  first  year  of  the  mission.  We  were  too 
busy  to  be  either  lonesome  or  homesick,  although,  to 
complete  our  isolation,  we  had  no  mails  of  any  sort 
for  many  months.  Our  two  children,  the  one  of  three 
and  the  other  of  six  years,  were  a  great  comfort  to  us. 
When  we  left  Bangkok  it  was  understood  that  a  Mr.  C. 
of  the  Borneo  Company  was  to  follow  us  in  a  month  on 
business  of  their  teak  trade.  He  had  promised  to  bring 
up  our  mail.  So  we  felt  sure  of  getting  our  first  let- 
ters in  good  time.  Since  he  would  travel  much  faster 
than  we,  it  was  not  impossible  that  he  might  overtake 
us  on  the  way.  But  April,  May,  and  June  passed,  and 
still  no  word  of  Mr.  C.  or  of  the  mails  he  was  bringing. 
In  July  we  received  a  note  from  him,  with  a  few  frag- 
ments of  our  long  looked-for  mail.  He  had  been  at- 
tacked by  robbers  below  Raheng,  himself  had  received 
a  serious  wound,  and  his  boat  had  been  looted  of  every 
portable  object,  including  our  mail-bag.  Fortunately 
the  robbers,  finding  nothing  of  value  to  them  in  the 
mail,  had  dropped  as  they  fled  some  mutilated  letters 
and  papers,  which  the  ofiicers  in  pursuit  picked  up, 


92      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

and  which  Mr.  C.  forwarded  to  us.  Otherwise  we 
should  have  had  nothing.  We  could  at  least  be  de- 
voutly thankful  that  we  had  traversed  the  same  river 
in  safety. 

It  was  long  before  we  were  sure  that  Mr.  Wilson  and 
his  family  were  coming  at  all  that  year.  It  was  at 
least  possible  that  any  one  of  a  thousand  causes  might 
delay  them,  or  even  prevent  their  coming  altogether. 
Their  arrival  on  February  15th,  1868,  was,  of  course,  a 
great  event. 

Not  long  after  this  we  were  eagerly  awaiting  a 
promised  visit  from  our  old  associate  and  friend,  Dr. 
S.  R.  House.  Both  Mrs.  Wilson  and  Mrs.  McGilvary 
were  expecting  shortly  to  be  confined,  and  the  good 
doctor  was  making  the  tedious  journey  that  he  might 
be  on  hand  to  help  them  with  his  professional  skill  in 
the  hour  of  their  need.  Our  dismay  can  be  imagined, 
when,  one  day,  there  appeared,  not  the  doctor,  but  his 
native  assistant,  with  a  few  pencilled  lines  from  the 
doctor,  telling  us  that  he  was  lying  in  the  forest  some 
four  or  five  days  distant,  dangerously,  if  not  fatally, 
gored  by  an  elephant.  We  were  not  to  come  to  him, 
but  were  to  stand  by  and  attend  to  the  needs  of  our 
families.  He  begged  us  to  pray  for  him,  and  to  send 
him  some  comforts  and  medicines. 

The  accident  happened  on  this  wise :  The  doctor  had 
been  walking  awhile  for  exercise  behind  his  riding 
elephant,  and  then  attempted  to  pass  up  beside  the 
creature  to  the  front.  The  elephant,  startled  at  his  un- 
expected appearance,  struck  him  to  the  ground  with  a 
blow  of  his  trunk,  gored  him  savagely  in  the  abdomen, 
and  was  about  to  trample  him  under  foot,  when  the 
driver,  not  a  moment  too  soon,  got  the  creature  again 
under  control.     With  rare  nerve  the  doctor  cleansed 


PIONEER  WORK  93 

the  frightful  wound,  and  sewed  it  up  by  the  help  of 
its  reflection  in  a  mirror,  as  he  lay  on  his  back  on  the 
ground.  He  despatched  the  messenger  to  us;  gave 
careful  instructions  to  his  attendants  as  to  what  they 
should  do  for  him  when  the  inevitable  fever  and  de- 
lirium should  come  on;  and  resigned  himself  calmly 
to  await  whatever  the  outcome  might  be. 

The  situation  was,  indeed,  desperate.  We  could 
not  possibly  hope  to  reach  him  before  the  question  of 
life  or  death  for  him  would  be  settled ;  nor  could  he  be 
brought  to  us.  The  best  we  could  do  was  to  get  an 
order  from  the  Prince  for  a  boat,  boatmen,  and  car- 
riers, and  despatch  these  down  the  river,  committing 
with  earnest  prayer  the  poor  sufferer  to  the  all-loving 
Father's  care.  The  doctor  was  carried  on  a  bamboo 
litter  through  the  jungle  to  the  Me  Ping  River,  and  in 
due  time  reached  Chiengmai  convalescent,  to  find  that 
the  two  expected  young  missionaries  had  arrived  in 
safety  before  him.  After  a  month's  rest  he  was  able 
to  return  to  Bangkok;  but  not  until  he  had  assisted 
us  in  organizing  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Chiengmai. 

In  the  Preslyterian  Record  for  November,  1868,  will 
be  found  an  interesting  report  from  the  doctor's  pen. 
Naturally  he  was  struck  with  the  predominance  of 
demon-worship  over  Buddhism  among  the  Lao.  We 
quote  the  following: 

"Not  only  offerings,  but  actually  prayers  are  made  to 
demons.  I  shall  never  forget  the  first  prayer  of  the  kind  I 
ever  heard.  ...  We  had  just  entered  a  dark  defile  in  the 
mountains,  beyond  Muang  Ton,  and  had  come  to  a  rude, 
imageless  shrine  erected  to  the  guardian  demon  of  the  pass. 
The  owner  of  my  riding-elephant  was  seated  on  the  neck 
of  the  big  beast  before  me.    Putting  the  palms  of  his  hands 


94      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

together  and  raising  them  in  the  attitude  of  worship,  he 
prayed :  *  Let  no  evil  happen  to  us.  We  are  six  men  and 
three  elephants.  Let  us  not  be  injured.  Let  nothing  come 
to  frighten  us,'  and  so  on.  On  my  way  do^vn  the  river,  at 
the  rapids  and  gloomy  passes  in  the  mountains  the  boatmen 
would  land,  tapers  would  be  lighted,  and  libations  would  be 
poured,  and  offerings  of  flowers,  food,  and  betel  would  be 
made  to  the  powers  of  darkness." 

The  doctor  speaks  also  of  "  the  favour  with  which  the  mis- 
sionaries were  received,  the  confidence  they  had  won  from  all 
classes,  the  influence  of  their  medicines,  and  the  grand 
field  open  for  a  physician."  He  frankly  says,  "  I  must  con- 
fess that  though  at  one  time  I  did  have  some  misgivings 
whether,  all  things  considered,  the  movement  was  not  a  little 
premature,  I  now,  being  better  able  to  judge,  greatly  honour  the 
Christian  courage  and  enterprise  which  undertook  the  work; 
or  rather  bless  God  who  inspired  Mr.  McGilvary's  heart,  and 
made  his  old  Princeton  friend,  Mr.  Wilson,  consent  to  join 
him  in  thus  striking  out  boldly  into  an  untried  field.  It 
will  prove,  I  trust,  a  field  ready  to  the  harvest." 


VIII 
FIRST-FRUITS 

DURING  the  first  three  months  after  Mr.  Wil- 
son's arrival  we  were  so  occupied  with  mis- 
sion work  and  with  family  cares  that  we  had 
not  made  choice  of  the  lot  which  the  Prince  had  prom- 
ised to  give  us.  On  the  very  day  that  Dr.  House  left 
us,  however,  the  Prince  came  in  person,  selected,  and 
made  over  to  us  our  present  beautiful  mission  com- 
pound on  the  east  bank  of  the  Me  Ping.  He  would  not 
allow  us  to  oiler  any  compensation;  but,  learning  after- 
wards that  the  native  owners  had  received  no  remunera- 
tion, we  secretly  paid  them.  Mr.  Wilson  began  at  once 
to  erect  temporary  bamboo  buildings,  and  soon  moved 
to  the  new  compound.  Since  it  was  difficult  for  me 
to  spare  time  for  further  work  of  building  for  myself, 
and  since  the  old  location  was  an  ideal  one  for  meet- 
ing the  people,  I  moved  with  my  family  from  the  sala 
into  the  bamboo  house  the  Wilsons  had  occupied,  and 
we  made  it  our  home  for  the  next  two  years. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  greatly  interrupted  in  his  work  by 
sickness  in  his  family.  Little  Frank  had  fallen  ill 
on  the  journey  from  Bangkok,  and  continued  to  suffer 
during  all  these  months.  His  death  on  November  17th, 
18G8,  was  a  heavy  stroke  to  us  all.  In  vain  we  com- 
bined our  slight  medical  skill,  and  searched  our  books 
of  domestic  medicine  for  his  relief.  It  was  pitiful 
enough  to  see  the  natives  die,  with  the  sad  feeling  in 
95 


96      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

our  hearts  that  a  physician  might  have  saved  their 
lives.  But  the  death  of  one  of  our  own  number,  so 
soon  after  the  trying  experiences  early  in  the  year, 
emphasized,  as  nothing  else  could  have  done,  our  ap- 
peals for  a  physician.  Yet  it  was  not  until  1872  that 
we  welcomed  the  first  physician  appointed  to  our 
mission. 

During  this  time  raids  were  continually  being  made 
into  the  Lao  country  by  the  renegade  Ngio  chieftain 
already  spoken  of.  Five  hundred  men  from  Pr^,  and 
one  thousand  from  Lakawn  were  drafted  for  the  defence 
of  the  city,  and  were  stationed  near  our  compound. 
Thus  hundreds  of  soldiers  and  workmen  furnished  us 
an  ever-changing  audience.  All  we  had  to  do,  day  or 
night,  was  to  touch  the  organ,  and  people  would  crowd 
in  to  hear.  The  dry  season  of  1868-69  was,  therefore, 
an  exceptionally  good  one  for  our  work.  We  had  con- 
stant visitors  from  other  provinces,  who  would  con- 
verse with  us  by  the  hour,  and,  on  returning  to  their 
homes,  would  carry  the  news  of  our  presence  and  of 
our  work. 

In  the  fall  of  1868  occurred  two  events  which,  widely 
different  as  they  might  seem  to  be,  were  in  reality 
closely  connected,  and  of  much  importance  in  their 
bearing  on  the  mission.  One  was  a  total  eclipse  of  the 
sun  on  August  17th,  and  the  other  was  the  conversion 
of  Nan  Inta,  our  first  baptized  convert.  I  well  re- 
member his  tall  figure  and  thoughtful  face  when  he 
first  appeared  at  our  salii,  shortly  after  our  arrival 
in  Chiengmai.  He  had  a  cough,  and  had  come  for 
medicine.  He  had  heard,  too,  that  we  taught  a  new 
religion,  and  wished  to  enquire  about  that.  Some 
soothing  expectorant  sufficiently  relieved  his  cough  to 
encourage  him  to  make  another  call.     On  each  visit 


FIRST-FRUITS  97 

religion  was  the  all-absorbing  topic.  He  had  studied 
Buddhism,  and  he  diligently  practised  its  precepts. 
As  an  abbot  he  had  led  others  to  make  offerings  for 
the  monastery  worship,  and  he  had  two  sons  of  his 
own  in  the  monastic  order.  But  Buddhism  had  never 
satisfied  his  deep  spiritual  nature.  What  of  the  thou- 
sands of  failures  and  transgressions  from  the  results 
of  which  there  was  no  escape?  The  doctrine  of  a  free 
and  full  pardon  through  the  merits  of  another,  was 
both  new  and  attractive  to  him,  but  it  controverted 
the  fundamental  principle  of  his  religion. 

We  had  some  arguments,  also,  on  the  science  of 
geography,  on  the  shape  of  the  earth,  on  the  nature 
of  eclipses,  and  the  like.  What  he  heard  was  as  for- 
eign to  all  his  preconceived  ideas  as  was  the  doctrine 
of  salvation  from  sin  by  the  death  of  Christ.  Just  be- 
fore the  great  eclipse  was  to  occur  I  told  him  of  it, 
naming  the  day  and  the  hour  when  it  was  to  occur. 
I  pointed  out  that  the  eclipse  could  not  be  caused  by 
a  monster  which  attacked  the  sun,  as  he  had  been 
taught.  If  that  were  the  cause,  no  one  could  foretell 
the  day  when  the  monster  would  be  moved  to  make 
the  attack.  He  at  once  caught  that  idea.  If  the 
eclipse  came  off  as  I  said,  he  would  have  to  admit 
that  his  teaching  was  wrong  on  a  point  perfectly 
capable  of  being  tested  by  the  senses.  There  would 
then  be  a  strong  presumption  that  we  were  right  in 
religion  as  well  as  in  eclipses.  He  waited  with  intense 
interest  for  the  day  to  come.  The  sky  was  clear,  and 
everything  was  favourable.  He  watched,  with  a 
smoked  glass  that  we  had  furnished,  the  reflection 
of  the  sun  in  a  bucket  of  water.  He  followed  the 
coming  of  the  eclipse,  its  progress,  and  its  passing  off, 
as  anxiously  as  the  wise  men  of  old  followed  the  star  of 


98      AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

Bethlehem — and,  like  them,  he,  too,  was  led  to  the 
Saviour. 

Early  the  next  morning  he  came  in  to  see  me.  His 
first  words  were,  "Men  te  "  (It's  really  true).  "The 
teacher's  books  teach  truth.  Ours  are  wrong."  This 
confident  assurance  had  evidently  been  reached  after 
a  sleepless  night.  A  complete  revolution  had  taken 
place  in  his  mind;  but  it  was  one  that  cost  him  a 
severe  struggle.  His  only  hope  had  rested  on  the 
teachings  of  Buddha,  and  it  was  no  light  thing  to  see 
the  foundation  of  his  hope  undermined.  The  eclipse 
had  started  an  ever-widening  rift.  He  began,  as  never 
before,  to  examine  the  credentials  of  Christianity.  He 
soon  learned  to  read  Siamese  in  order  to  gain  access 
to  our  Scriptures.  We  read  the  Gospel  of  John  to- 
gether. He  studied  the  Shorter  Catechism.  He  had 
a  logical  mind,  and  it  was  never  idle.  Whenever  we 
met,  if  only  for  a  few  moments,  he  always  had  some 
question  to  ask  me,  or  some  new  doubt  to  solve.  When 
tempted  to  doubt,  he  fell  back  on  the  eclipse,  saying, 
"  I  know  my  books  were  wrong  there.  If  the  Gospel 
system  seems  too  good  to  be  true  in  that  it  offers  to 
pardon  and  cleanse  and  adopt  guilty  sinners,  and  give 
them  a  title  to  a  heavenly  inheritance,  it  is  simply 
because  it  is  divine,  and  not  human."  While  the  truth 
dawned  gradually  on  his  mind,  the  full  vision  seemed 
to  be  sudden.  His  own  account  was  that  afterwards, 
when  walking  in  the  fields  and  pondering  the  subject, 
it  all  became  very  plain  to  him.  His  doubts  all  van- 
ished. Henceforth  for  him  to  live  was  Christ;  and 
he  counted  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of 
the  knowledge  of  Him. 

The  conversion  of  Nan  Inta  was  an  epoch  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  mission.     The  ordinary  concourse  of  vis- 


FIRST-FRUITS  99 

itors  might  be  for  medicine,  or  it  might  be  from  mere 
curiosity.  But  when  one  of  the  most  zealous 
Buddhists,  well  known  by  members  of  the  royal  fam- 
ily, openly  embraced  Christianity,  the  matter  began 
to  assume  a  different  aspect.  What  was  more  remark- 
able still  was  that  he  urged  his  two  sons  to  abandon 
the  monastic  order.  The  I'rince's  younger  daughter, 
herself  a  strong  Buddhist,  told  me  that  this  was  to  her 
convincing  evidence  of  his  sincerity.  Whether  Chris- 
tianity were  true  or  false,  he  certainly  believed  it  true. 
It  was  the  height  of  ambition  for  every  Lao  father  to 
have  a  son  in  the  order.  If  he  had  none  of  his  own, 
he  often  would  adopt  one  and  make  him  a  monk.  But 
here  was  one  of  the  most  devout  of  them  urging  his 
own  sons  to  come  out  and  be  Christians!  We  re- 
garded it  as  a  favourable  circumstance  that  the  patron 
and  protector  of  this  our  first  convert  was  high  in 
princely  rank.  Nan  Inta's  defection  from  Buddhism 
produced  a  profound  impression  among  all  classes. 
Emboldened  by  his  example,  secret  believers  became 
more  open.  Not  the  number  alone,  but  the  character  of 
the  enquirers  attracted  attention. 

The  second  convert  was  Noi  Sunya,  a  native  doctor 
from  a  village  eight  miles  to  the  east.  He  has  the 
enviable  distinction  of  never  having  postponed  the 
Gospel  offer.  He  was  the  chief  herdsman  in  charge 
of  the  Prince's  cattle.  Coming  to  the  city  on  an 
errand,  he  called  at  our  sala  to  see  what  was  the  at- 
traction there.  As  in  the  case  of  so  many  others,  it 
was  the  good  news  of  pardon  for  a  sinsick  soul  that 
arrested  his  attention.  On  his  return  in  the  after- 
noon he  called  again  to  make  fuller  enquiry  concern- 
ing "  the  old,  old  story  of  Jesus  and  His  love."  He 
promised  to  return  on  Sunday.     Promises  of  that  sort 


100    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

so  often  fail,  that  we  were  surprised  and  delighted  to 
see  him  early  on  Sunday  morning.  We  had  an  earnest 
talk  together  before  the  time  came  for  public  worship. 
He  remained  through  the  afternoon,  and  spent  the 
night  with  us.  In  answer  to  a  final  exhortation  be- 
fore he  left  us  in  the  morning,  he  said,  "  You  need  not 
fear  my  going  back.  I  feel  sure  I  am  right."  He  was 
willing  to  sell  all — even  life  itself,  as  it  proved — for 
the  pearl  of  great  price.  He  went  home,  called  his 
family  together,  and  began  family  worship  that  very 
night.  Only  four  brief  months  after  this  his  labours 
were  ended  by  the  executioner's  stroke,  and  he  wore 
the  martyr's  crown. 

The  third.  Sen  Ya  Wichai,  has  already  been  men- 
tioned as  receiving  his  first  instruction  in  Christianity 
from  the  "  mother  teacher,"  as  Mrs.  McGilvary  was 
called,  during  the  very  first  month  of  the  mission.  He 
then  received  the  great  truth  of  the  existence  of  God 
and  of  man's  accountability  to  Him.  He  was  an  of- 
ficer living  six  days'  journey  to  the  north,  and  was  un- 
der the  jurisdiction  of  the  Prince  of  Lampun.  On  his 
visit  a  year  later,  he  received  further  instruction,  was 
baptized,  and  returned  to  tell  his  neighbours  what  he 
had  found.  They  only  laughed  at  him  for  his  oddity 
in  refusing  to  join  in  the  Buddhist  worship,  and  in 
offerings  to  the  spirits. 

The  fourth  was  Nan  Chai,  a  neighbour  and  friend  of 
Noi  Sunya,  and  destined  to  suffer  martyrdom  along 
with  him.  He,  too,  was  an  ex-abbot,  and,  therefore, 
exempt  from  government  work.  He  was  a  good 
scholar,  and  was  employed  by  Mr.  Wilson  as  a  teacher. 
When  he  became  a  Christian,  he  was  strongly  tempted 
to  hold  on  still  to  his  position  in  the  monastery,  ex- 
plaining that  he  would  not  himself  engage  in  the  wor- 


FIRST-FRUITS  101 

ship,  but  would  only  sweep  the  buildings  and  keep 
the  grounds  in  order  for  others.  But  when  his  duty 
was  pointed  out  to  him,  he  readily  gave  up  his  posi- 
tion, and  was  enrolled  for  regular  government  service. 
Here  were  four  noble  and  notable  men  at  once  desert- 
ing the  Buddhist  faith!  No  wonder  it  became  an 
anxious  question  whereunto  this  was  to  grow. 


IX 

MARTYRDOM 

IN  the  course  of  these  events  our  second  year  of 
work  in  Chiengmai  had  come  to  its  end.  We 
were  now  beyond  the  middle  of  the  year  1869.  As 
some  indefinable  sense  of  oppression  in  the  air  gives 
warning  of  the  approaching  storm,  so  there  were  om- 
inous hints,  and  even  some  dark  forebodings.  Our 
Christian  people — who  understood  far  better  than  we 
did  both  the  character  of  their  rulers  and  the  sig- 
nificance of  furtive  looks  and  innuendoes — were 
anxious.  But  they  stood  firm,  and  their  faith  strength- 
ened ours. 

In  the  light  of  subsequent  events  we  now  know 
that  the  most  dangerous  element  in  the  gathering 
storm  was  the  angry  surprise  of  the  Prince  himself  at 
the  discovery  that  the  old  order  seemed  actually  pass- 
ing away  under  his  very  eyes;  that  his  will  was  no 
longer  supreme  in  men's  minds,  nor  always  consulted 
in  their  actions — this  and  the  deep  treachery  and  ruth- 
less cruelty  of  his  nature  which  it  brought  into  play. 
But  there  were  other  sinister  influences  at  work  also, 
and  among  them  we  must  not  overlook  that  of  a  certain 
Portuguese  adventurer,  Fonseca  by  name.  He  was  a 
thoroughly  unprincipled  man,  who,  having  played  his 
game  in  Bangkok  and  lost,  had  worked  himself  into 
the  favour  of  the  Prince  during  his  recent  visit  to  the 
capital,  and  had  accompanied  him  on  his  return 
102 


MARTYRDOM  103 

to  Chiengmai.  The  Prince  was  persuaded  that  this 
man  could  be  of  great  service  to  him  in  the  two  mat- 
ters which  were  then  causing  him  most  disquietude; 
namely,  the  defence  of  certain  lawsuits  involving  large 
sums  of  money,  brought  against  him  in  the  British 
Consular  Court  by  Burmese  timber  merchants;  and 
the  getting  rid  of  the  missionaries.  These  last  were 
more  in  Fonseca's  way  than  they  were  in  the  Prince's. 
He  could  accomplish  his  ends  more  readily  if  they 
were  not  there. 

The  most  plausible  excuse  that  could  be  offered 
for  desiring  to  be  rid  of  the  missionaries  was  the  failure 
of  the  rice  crop  that  year.  In  the  early  part  of  the 
season  there  was  no  rain  at  all.  When  at  last  the 
fields  had  been  planted,  one  of  the  worst  floods  ever 
known  in  that  region  destroyed  all  the  lowland  rice. 
Then,  finally,  the  rains  ceased  prematurely,  and  the 
upland  crop  was  cut  off  by  drought.  The  presence 
of  the  missionaries  in  the  country  had  offended  the 
spirits,  and  they  had  withheld  the  rain.  Such  was  the 
pretext  urged  in  a  petition  sent  to  Bangkok  to  have 
the  missionaries  removed.  The  specific  address  of  the 
petition  to  the  Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs  and  the 
United  States  Consul  leads  one  to  suspect  that  the 
matter  was  directed  by  some  one  who  understood  the 
order  of  oflQciai  business  much  better  than  did  the  Lao 
Prince. 

The  Minister  forwarded  the  document  to  Mr.  Mc- 
Donald, the  acting  Vice-Consul  at  the  time.  Mr.  Mc- 
Donald replied  to  the  Minister  that  there  must  be 
some  mistake  about  it.  It  appeared  that  the  scarcity 
of  rice  complained  of  had  begun  the  year  before  the 
arrival  of  the  missionaries;  it  was  not  confined  to 
Chiengmai,    but    extended    over    all    the    northern 


104    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

provinces.  He  added  roguishly,  however,  that  he 
would  strictly  enjoin  the  American  missionaries  to  be 
very  careful  in  future  not  to  cause  any  famine.  Of 
all  this  secret  plotting  we  were  entirely  ignorant  at  the 
time,  and  learned  of  it  only  long  afterwards.  While 
these  plots  were  developing,  I  was  frequently  visiting 
the  Prince,  and  all  our  relations  with  him  were  ap- 
parently satisfactory.  But  we  knew  that  he  was  un- 
der the  influence  of  a  wily  and  unprincipled  adversary. 

The  other  matter  in  which  Fonseca  was  supposed  to 
be  able  to  help  his  patron  out  of  difficulties  even  more 
pressing,  was  the  Burmese  lawsuits  pending  before  the 
British  Consul.  But  the  British  government  was  the 
last  party  to  permit  officious  meddling  with  its  public 
business  from  such  a  quarter.  It  is  presumed  that 
there  was  evidence  of  his  interference  with  official  cor- 
respondence. This  much  is  certain — a  peremptory  de- 
mand was  made  on  the  Siamese  government  for  his  re- 
call. The  official  order  sent  up  was  too  emphatic  to 
be  neglected.  The  man  was  sent  out  of  the  country 
in  quite  different  style  from  that  in  which  he  entered 
it.  This  man  is  known  to  have  been  present  at  the 
consultation  relative  to  the  mission.  If  the  jealousy 
and  suspicion  on  the  part  of  the  Prince  did  not  origi- 
nate with  him,  there  is  no  doubt  that  he  at  least 
worked  on  the  Prince's  suspicious  nature,  increasing 
his  jealousy  of  the  growing  popularity  of  the  mission, 
and  leading  him  to  think  that  it  would  be  wise  to  stop 
it  in  its  incipiency. 

Yet  even  when  the  blow  was  about  to  fall,  we  could 
not  believe  that  the  Prince  was  so  treacherous  as  to 
plan  to  drive  us  out  of  the  country,  at  the  same  time 
that  he  continued  to  treat  us  so  kindly,  and  would 
even  come  to  dine  with  us.    We  could  not  believe  that 


MARTYRDOM  105 

the  younger  Princess,  who  had  a  predominating  in- 
fluence over  her  father,  could  encourage  one  of  the 
Christians  to  put  himself  under  her  protection,  only 
that  he  might  the  more  surely  be  sent  to  his  death  a 
day  or  two  later.  We  could  not  believe  that  an  ex- 
cursion down  the  river  had  been  planned  by  the 
Prince,  only  that  he  might  be  out  of  reach  when  the 
executions  should  take  place.  We  were  still  incred- 
ulous, even  after  we  received  reliable  information  from 
the  agent  of  the  Borneo  Company  that  he  had  heard 
the  Prince  and  a  certain  high  officer  consulting  together 
to  stop  our  work.  The  plan  which  he  reported  was 
to  expel  the  converts  from  the  country,  giving  their 
wives  and  children  the  option  to  follow  them  or  to 
remain.  After  all,  that  would  not  have  been  so  great 
a  disaster.  These  men  had  no  great  possessions  to 
lose.  Their  banishment  would  only  plant  the  Gospel 
in  other  provinces  or  other  lands. 

When,  in  September,  1869,  just  before  the  fatal 
stroke,  the  Prince  started  on  what  purported  to  be  a 
three  weeks'  fishing  trip,  we  thought  that  his  absence 
would  give  us  a  respite  from  our  present  fears,  and 
would  afford  him  leisure  for  better  thoughts.  As  his 
boats  pushed  off,  we  waved  him  a  parting  good-bye  from 
the  shore.  His  first  business  was  at  Lampun,  to  se- 
cure the  co-operation  of  the  governor  of  that  province 
in  ridding  the  country  of  the  new  religion.  Inasmuch 
as  Sen  Ya  Wichai,  the  third  convert  mentioned  above, 
was  a  Lampun  officer,  it  was  thought  prudent  in  his 
case  to  secure  the  action  of  his  own  immediate  superior. 
He  was  at  once  sent  for,  and  was  condemned  to 
death,  but  was  saved  by  his  young  master,  the  gov- 
ernor's son,  on  the  plea  that  he  was  a  backwoodsman, 
and  knew  no  better. 


106    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

Of  the  deep  designs  against  us  and  our  work  we 
were  thus  either  ignorant  or  incredulous  till,  on  the 
evening  of  September  13th,  just  before  dark,  our 
night  watchman  came  to  us  with  the  common  excuse 
for  leaving  us,  that  some  relative  was  dead  or  dying, 
and  insisting  that  he  must  go  immediately.  In  vain 
we  urged  that  he  must  not  leave  us  thus  in  the  lurch. 
As  a  final  argument,  we  threatened  to  dock  him  of  a 
month's  wages.  But  wages  were  nothing  to  him  then. 
"  All  that  a  man  hath  will  he  give  for  his  life."  While 
we  talked  to  him,  he  had  reached  the  gate  and  was 
gone.  So,  also,  fled  the  cook  and  the  coolie,  leaving 
only  one  blind  Ngio  who  had  taken  refuge  with  us. 

Mr.  Wilson  then  lived  across  the  river  on  the  new 
premises,  and  it  was  not  until  the  next  day  that  we 
learned  that  all  his  people,  too,  had  fled  in  like  manner 
and  at  the  same  hour.  We  went  to  Praya  Tepasing, 
the  Prince's  executive  ofiScer,  to  enquire  the  cause.  He 
feigned  surprise,  and  professed  entire  ignorance  of 
any  designs  against  the  Christians.  He  said,  how- 
ever, that  the  Prince  had  given  an  order  that  the  in- 
habitants of  certain  villages  should  bring  in  each  a 
hewn  slab  of  timber  to  repair  the  stockade.  Possibly 
the  scare  might  have  somehow  arisen  from  that.  We 
were  aware  of  the  order,  and  had  told  the  Christians 
that  if  pressed  for  time  to  procure  the  timber,  they 
might  each  take  a  slab  of  ours.  We  now  told  the 
Praya  that  we  would  ourselves  be  responsible  for  the 
timbers  required  of  them.  To  assure  us  with  regard 
to  our  servants,  the  Praya  sent  for  our  cook,  gave  him 
a  letter  assuring  his  safety,  and  threatened,  besides, 
to  have  him  flogged  if  he  deserted  us.  The  cook  re- 
mained with  us  all  through  these  troubles,  until  we 
could  find  another  to  take  his  place.     For  some  reason 


MARTYRDOM  107 

Mr.  Wilson  did  not  avail  himself  of  this  offer.  He  and 
Mrs.  Wilson  got  on  as  they  could  without  servants  for 
several  months. 

We  now  know  that  the  order  for  the  execution  of 
the  Christians  had  been  given  long  before  by  that 
same  Praya  Tepasing — in  such  fear  of  the  Prince  was 
the  highest  officer  in  the  realm!  Not  only  had  our 
servants  vanished— there  was  a  sudden  cessation  of  our 
visitors  as  well.  Few  even  dared  to  come  for  medi- 
cine for  fear  of  being  suspected  of  becoming  Chris- 
tians. There  were,  however,  a  few  notable  exceptions, 
the  abbot  of  the  Umong  monastery  being  the  most  con- 
spicuous. 

During  the  following  week  Mr.  Wilson  waded  out 
across  the  flooded  country  to  the  home  of  Nan  Chai, 
his  teacher.  But  his  family  did  not  dare  to  give  any 
information  concerning  him.  To  tell  what  they  knew 
would  cost  their  lives  also — so  they  had  been  told.  He 
then  went  on  another  mile  to  Noi  Sunya's  home,  with 
the  same  result.  The  wives  of  both  these  men  pre- 
tended to  believe  that  their  husbands  had  gone  to  the 
city  to  visit  us.  Mr.  Wilson  noticed  that  one  of  the 
women  had  tears  in  her  eyes  as  she  spoke.  Puzzled 
rather  than  satisfied  by  the  result  of  the  visit,  Mr. 
Wilson  returned  with  the  hope  that,  after  all,  the 
men  were  still  alive,  and  that  we  yet  should  see  them 
in  the  land  of  the  living. 

It  was  two  weeks  before  our  suspense  was  broken  by 
the  certainty  of  their  death.  On  Sunday  morning, 
September  26th,  a  Nglo  friend  and  neighbour  of  the 
martyrs  called  at  my  house.  After  looking  all  about 
him,  he  asked  where  the  Christians  were.  I  told  him 
there  seemed  to  be  a  mystery  about  them  that  we  could 
not  unravel,  but  we  hoped  they  were  secreting  them- 


108    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

selves  in  safety  somewhere.  Seeing  that  I  was  really- 
ignorant  of  their  fate,  he  came  close  up  to  me,  and 
looking  around  again  to  assure  himself  that  no  one 
was  near,  he  asked,  "  If  I  tell  you,  will  you  promise 
never  to  betray  me?"  Having  demanded  and  re- 
ceived an  emphatic  promise  equivalent  to  an  oath,  he 
drew  his  hand  significantly  across  his  neck,  and  whis- 
pered, "■  That  is  the  way."  His  gesture  was  too  well 
understood  in  that  reign  to  leave  any  doubt  as  to  what 
was  meant.  The  man  had  really  come  on  a  sad  and 
dangerous  errand  of  kindness.  As  soon  as  it  was  ac- 
complished, he  hurried  away,  evidently  fearing  that 
the  birds  of  the  air  might  hear  it,  or  that  some  breeze 
might  waft  it  to  the  palace. 

On  Monday  morning  Mr.  Wilson  and  I  went  again 
to  the  Praya.  He  could  now  no  longer  lie  for  his 
master  as  to  the  fact  of  the  execution  of  the  men, 
but  he  offered  the  flimsy  excuse  that  it  was  because 
they  had  not  brought  in  their  slabs  on  time.  We  were 
then  obliged  to  charge  him  with  patent  falsehood.  He 
knew  that  they  were  executed  for  no  crime  whatever, 
but  only  for  being  Christians.  Poor  man !  He  seemed 
somewhat  ashamed;  but  what  could  he  do?  He  was 
not  at  heart  a  bad  man,  as  his  letter  of  protection  for 
the  cook  showed.  The  lives  of  two  peasants  were  no 
great  matter  in  those  days.  He  had  been  so  trained 
to  execute  every  behest  of  his  master,  that  it  scarcely 
occurred  to  him  that  he  ought  to  hesitate  at  this. 

But  it  was  some  relief  to  know  the  worst,  and  to 
know  that  it  was  known  that  we  knew  it.  Before  this 
we  had  been  obliged  to  feign  hopes  that  we  hardly  be- 
lieved ourselves.  Now  we  could  speak  openly.  The 
Prince  had  not  yet  returned  from  his  fishing  trip;  so 
we  went  to  his  elder  daughter  and  her  husband,  after- 


MARTYRDOM  109 

ward  Prince  Intanon.  In  their  position  they  could  not 
say  much ;  but  they  did  say  that  what  the  Prince  had 
done  was  not  right,  and  that  they  did  not  approve  of 
the  act. 

One  outcome  of  the  situation  was  a  flood  of  the 
wildest  rumours — some  of  them,  no  doubt,  started  on 
purpose  to  frighten  us  away.  One  of  these  touched  us 
in  a  most  tender  point.  One  of  our  most  faithful 
servants,  who  had  been  with  us  from  the  very  first,  was 
desirous  of  visiting  Bangkok.  So  we  arranged  to  have 
him  go  down  in  charge  of  a  boat  that  was  to  bring 
up  our  supplies  for  the  year.  By  him  we  sent  a  large 
package  of  letters  written  before  we  had  reason  to 
suspect  so  serious  an  outcome  of  the  troubles  that  were 
brewing.  While  we  could  not  conceal  some  gloomy 
forebodings,  our  reports  were,  on  the  whole,  full  of 
hope  for  the  speedy  progress  of  the  Gospel.  The  boat 
left  for  Bangkok  a  few  days  after  the  Prince  started 
on  his  fishing  trip.  Presently  it  was  reported  that  the 
boat  had  been  intercepted,  and  that  this  man,  with  his 
wife,  his  son,  and  his  son's  family,  even  down  to  a  lit- 
tle grandchild  of  two  years  old,  had  been  killed,  and 
the  boat  broken  to  pieces  and  burned. 

Although  such  atrocity  seemed  beyond  belief,  yet  a 
number  of  circumstances  combined  to  give  the  report 
credibility.  Why,  for  instance,  was  the  long,  unusual 
trip  down  the  river  taken  just  before  our  boat  was  to 
start?  What  did  it  mean  that,  after  the  murder  of 
the  Christians  was  known,  no  sum  of  money  could  in- 
duce a  Lao  man  to  take  a  letter  to  Bangkok?  If  the 
story  of  the  fate  of  our  messenger  were  true,  the  act 
was  the  act  of  a  madman — and  there  is  no  telling 
what  a  madman  may  not  do.  He  was  in  a  position 
to  keep  us  from  escaping;  and  if  he  had  really  gone 


110    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

so  far  as  that,  he  evidently  did  not  intend  that  we 
should  be  heard  from  alive. 

For  a  time  we  virtually  resigned  ourselves  to  what 
seemed  inevitable  fate.  When  we  could  get  no  letters 
sent,  we  actually  began  writing  the  history  of  those 
days  on  the  margins  of  books  in  our  library,  so  that, 
if  we  were  never  heard  from  again,  some  of  the  prece- 
dent circumstances  of  our  end  might  thus,  perhaps, 
come  to  light.  It  was  a  great  relief,  therefore,  when  an 
influential  Burmese,  knowing  our  situation,  offered 
to  carry  a  letter  through  to  our  friends  in  Bangkok. 

On  September  29th,  when  the  letters  carried  by  the 
Burmese  were  written,  we  were  still  under  the  im- 
pression that  our  boatman  had  been  murdered,  and 
that  neither  he  nor  the  letters  and  reports  carried  by 
him  had  been  heard  from.  It  was  the  knowledge  that 
these  rumours  were  false,  and  that  he  had  passed 
Raheng  in  safety,  that  first  relieved  our  minds.  So, 
too,  his  arrival  in  Bangkok  gave  our  friends  there  the 
first  assurance  of  our  safety.  With  this  explanation 
the  letters  themselves  will  give  the  best  idea  of  our 
situation  in  those  dark  days.  The  following  is  from 
a  letter  of  Dr.  S.  R.  House  to  our  Mission  Board  in 
New  York,  printed  in  the  Prcshyterian  Record  of 
February,  1870.     It  is  dated  November  11th,  1869. 

"  Since  our  last  mail  was  despatched,  tidings  have  been 
received  from  the  mission  families  in  North  Laos  which 
have  greatly  distressed  and  alarmed  us,  causing  no  little 
anxiety  for  their  personal  safety.  This  outburst  of  persecu- 
tion from  which  they  are  now  suffering  must  have  been  quite 
unlocked  for,  for  their  letters  down  to  September  10th  were 
full  of  encouragement.    Never  had  the  king  and  the  princes  ' 

1  That  is  the  Prince  of  Chiengmai  and  the  nobility.  These  terms 
are  so  used  generally  throughout  this  correspondence. — Ed. 


MARTYRDOM  111 

seemed  more  friendly;  never  had  their  prospects  seemed 
brighter.  Seven  interesting  converts  had  been  baptized 
since  the  year  began,  and  they  had  just  been  enjoying  a 
wonderfully  favourable  opportunity  to  make  the  gospel  mes- 
sage known  to  the  people  from  every  part  of  the  kingdom. 
.  .  .  What  has  caused  this  sudden  change  in  the  demeanour 
of  the  king  of  Chiengmai  toward  our  missionaries  there, 
does  not  appear.   .    .    . 

"  Thus  far  they  seem  to  have  had  no  apprehension  for 
themselves  personally;  but  the  next  letter,  of  two  days'  later 
date,  indicates  that  something  had  occurred  or  had  come  to 
their  knowledge  which  led  them  to  believe  that  their  own 
lives  were  in  jeopardy.  On  September  29th  Mr.  McGilvary 
writes  hurriedly  to  his  father-in-law.  Rev.  D.  B.  Bradley, 
M.D.,  of  the  A.  M.  A.  mission  as  follows: — 

"  '  Dear  Father  and  Mother : — We  write  to  tell  you  that  we 
may  be  in  great  danger.  If  you  never  hear  from  us  more, 
know  that  we  are  in  heaven.  Send  some  one  up  here  to  look 
after  our  Christians,  and  do  not,  we  beg  you,  grieve  over  the 
loss  of  our  lives.  Two  of  our  church  members  died  at  the 
martyr's  stake  on  the  14th  of  September.  Warrants  are 
out  for  the  others.  What  is  before  us  we  do  not  know.  We 
are  all  peaceful,  and  very  happy.  We  have  written  letters 
giving  the  full  facts,  but  dare  not  send  them  for  fear  of  their 
interception. 

"  '  Lung  Puk  left  here  on  the  12th  direct  for  Bangkok. 
Should  he  never  reach  you,  you  may  fear  the  worst  for 
us.  .  ,  .  He  had  a  large  mail  with  our  reports,  etc.  Should 
worst  come  to  worst,  we  have  counted  the  cost  beforehand, 
and  our  death  will  not  be  in  vain.  Love  to  all  the  dear  ones. 
Good-bye,  dear  father,  mother,  brothers,  sisters,  and  friends — 
perhaps  till  we  meet  in  heaven ! '  " 

Dr.  House  then  coutinues: 

"  That  these  letters — the  last  one  especially — awakened  our 
deepest  solicitude,  I  need  not  assure  you.  The  brethren 
from  the  Pechaburi  station  reached  Bangkok,  to  attend  the 
annual  session  of  Presbytery,  the  very  day  the  startling 
tidings    came;    and    anxious    were    our    deliberations,    and 


112    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

earnest  our  prayers  in  behalf  of  those  brethren  beloved  and 
their  helpless  families.  A  month  had  then  elapsed  since  the 
date  of  the  letters.    Were  they  still  in  the  land  of  the  living? 

"  It  was  deemed  advisable  that  some  of  our  number  should 
proceed  as  far  up  the  river  as  possible — to  Raheng  at  least — 
to  learn  the  existing  state  of  things  and  extend  all  possible 
assistance.  After  consultation  this  service  devolved  on  Bros. 
McDonald  and  George. 

"  Owing  to  the  peculiar  allegiance  which  holds  the  Lao 
tribes  tributary  to  the  Siamese,  it  was  thought  best  not  to 
press  any  doubtful  treaty  rights  and  claims  through  the 
United  States  Consul — that  is,  the  protection  they  would 
be  entitled  to  claim  anywhere  on  the  soil  of  Siam  proper — 
but  to  throw  ourselves  on  the  friendliness  and  good-will 
of  the  Siamese  Government  as  old  residents  here,  most  of 
us,  who  are  greatly  troubled  lest  harm  should  befall  our 
friends  who  are  living  in  one  of  their  tributary  states. 
What  could  they  do  to  help  us? 

"  The  deputation,  consisting  of  Dr.  Bradley,  Mr.  Mc- 
Donald, Mr.  George,  and  myself,  were  most  kindly  received 
by  the  new  Regent  of  the  kingdom,  the  late  Prime  Minister — 
were  received  in  every  respect  as  friends,  and  the  best  en- 
deavours of  the  Siamese  Government  were  promised.  A 
government  official  would  be  despatched  at  once  bearing  a 
letter  to  the  king  of  Chiengmai,  enjoining  on  him  to  give 
protection  to  the  missionaries.  But  the  Regent  added,  '  It 
is  difficult  to  deal  with  a  man  so  moody  and  arbitrary  as  this 
Chief  of  Chiengmai.  He  is  like  King  Theodore  of  Abys- 
sinia.'— This  too  significant  comparison  had  already  sug- 
gested  itself    in    anything   but   an    agreeable   way   to    our- 


"  The  Siamese  move  slowly  at  the  best,  and  the  brethren 
who  have  consented  to  go  on  this  errand  so  full  of  per- 
plexity and  possible  peril  started  several  days  before  the 
royal  messenger's  preparations  were  completed.  We  are 
waiting  with  the  greatest  solicitude  further  tidings.  I  must 
say  from  what  I  know  of  the  character  of  the  man  in  whose 
hands  and  at  whose  mercy  they  are,  that  I  have  great  fears. 
Others  here,  however,  are  confident  that  no  harm  can  come  to 
them  personally." 


MARTYRDOM  113 

The  following,  from  a  note  of  mine  to  the  Board, 
will  throw  further  b'ght  on  our  letter  to  our  friends 
and  on  our  situation.  It  was  dated  October  31st,  while 
we  were  anxiously  waiting  for  the  reply  to  our  letters. 

..."  But  the  particular  fact  that  filled  us  with  deepest 
anxiety  when  we  sent  that  note  to  Bangkok,  was  a  rumour 
that  the  king  had,  in  person,  stopped  a  boat  in  charge  of  our 
old  servant  whom  we  had  sent  down  to  Bangkok  after  money 
and  supplies,  and  had  put  him,  his  wife,  and  all  the  boatmen 
to  death.  That  rumour  was  currently  believed  here,  and  we 
had  so  many  questions  asked  us  about  them  by  persons  in 
high  and  in  low  station,  that  we  were  constrained  almost  to 
believe  it.  And  if  that  had  been  done,  we  knew  not  what 
would  come  next.  Of  course  we  had  serious  apprehensions 
regarding  our  own  safety;  yet  our  duty  was  clear.  However 
dangerous  our  position,  we  felt  that  flight  would  be  more 
dangerous.   .    .    .   Our  strength  was  to  sit  still.   .    .    . 

"  After  waiting  a  month  in  suspense  about  our  servants, 
we  have  just  learned,  on  pretty  good  authority,  that  they  were 
not  murdered.  They  have  been  reported  as  having  passed 
Raheng.  In  a  few  days  we  shall  know  the  truth.  If  they 
are  safe,  our  greatest  fears  were  groundless.  We  wait  to  see 
the  Lord's  purpose  in  reference  to  this  people.  We  yet  be- 
lieve they  are  purposes  of  mercy.  The  excitement  has  some- 
what died  down,  and  we  have  daily  many  visitors.  But  there 
is  great  fear  of  the  authorities.  No  one  feels  safe;  no  one 
knows  what  will  come  next." 

I  quote  from  a  letter  of  Mr.  Wilson  to  the  Board  the 
following  account  of  the  suffering  and  death  of  the 
martyrs,  written  January  3d,  1870,  after  all  the  various 
rumours  had  been  sifted,  and  the  facts  were  clearly 
known.  Meantime  the  Commission  referred  to  in  the 
letter  of  Dr.  House  had  come,  and  this  letter  was 
brought  to  Bangkok  by  it  on  its  return.  This  letter 
and  the  one  cited  just  above  were  printed  in  the  For- 
eign Missionary  for  March  and  for  May,  1870. 


114    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

"  Till  within  a  very  short  time  before  their  execution,  we 
had  no  apprehension  that  any  serious  obstacle  would  be 
thrown  in  the  way  of  the  Lao  becoming  Christians.  All  the 
baptisms  had  taken  place  publicly.  The  number,  and  some 
of  the  names,  of  the  Christians  had  been  given  in  answer 
to  questions  asked  by  the  younger  daughter  of  the  king, 
and  by  others  of  royal  blood.  We  had  become  convinced 
that  the  king  must  know  that  some  of  his  people  had  become 
disciples  of  Jesus.  His  two  daughters  had  assured  Mr. 
McGilvary  that  no  one  should  be  molested  for  becoming 
Christians.  With  such  an  assurance  from  the  highest 
princesses  in  the  land,  we  flattered  ourselves  that  the  king 
would  tolerate  Christianity.  The  fearlessness,  also,  with 
which  all  but  Nan  Chai  professed  Christ,  made  us  feel  that 
there  was  no  danger  to  the  life  of  any  one  who  had  received 
baptism. 

"  Nan  Chai,  however,  seemed  anxious.  Some  two  months 
before  his  baptism  he  requested  us  to  write  to  Bangkok  and 
get  the  King  of  Siam  to  make  proclamation  of  religious 
toleration.  Not  a  month  before  his  baptism  he  asked  me,  '  If 
the  king  should  call  me  and  ask,  "  Are  you  a  disciple  of 
Jesus?"  would  it  be  wrong  to  say  "No"?'  We  knew  that 
for  some  time  he  had  loved  the  Saviour,  but  he  was  follow- 
ing Him  tremblingly.  His  position  as  overseer  (ex-abbot) 
of  the  monastery  made  his  renunciation  of  Buddhism  a 
more  noticeable  event,  and  rendered  him  more  liable  to  per- 
secution than  some  of  the  others.  I  may  here  state  that 
those  who,  after  leaving  the  monastery,  are  appointed  over- 
seers of  the  temple,  are,  by  virtue  of  their  position,  exempt 
from  the  call  of  their  masters  to  do  government  work.  Nan 
Chai  belonged  to  this  class.  His  resignation  of  this  post 
when  he  became  a  Christian,  both  proved  his  sincerity,  and 
made  him  a  mark  for  Buddhist  hate  and  reproach. 

"  Noi  Sunya's  work  was  to  tend  the  king's  cattle,  and  in 
this  way  he  performed  his  share  of  public  service.  He  also 
worked  a  farm,  and  was  a  physician.  He  was  of  a  genial 
disposition  and  cheerful  temper,  always  looking  on  the  bright 
side  of  life,  happy  himself,  and  trying  to  make  others  happy. 
He  was  thus  a  general  favourite.  His  reception  of  the 
truth  was  hearty  and  childlike.    How  his  face  beamed  with 


MARTYRDOM  115 

joy  that  communion  Sabbath!  Next  day,  Monday,  Sep- 
tember 6th,  about  noon,  he  started  for  his  walk  of  nine 
miles  across  the  plain  to  Me  Po  Ka.  In  bidding  him  good- 
bye we  little  thought  we  should  see  his  face  no  more. 

"  Our  teacher,  Nan  Chai,  came  in  the  following  Thursday, 
somewhat  sad  because  the  head  man  of  his  village  was  urging 
him  for  some  government  work  and  supplies  that  were  then 
being  raised  for  the  army.  After  resigning  the  oversight  of 
the  temple,  being  virtually  without  a  master,  he  had  come  in 
to  the  city  to  put  himself  under  the  king's  younger  daugh- 
ter. On  Saturday  morning,  the  11th,  she  gave  him  his  pro- 
tection papers,  for  which  he  paid  the  usual  three  rupees. 
Some  ten  days  before,  when  Mr.  McGilvary  had  called  with 
him  in  reference  to  this  matter,  he  had,  at  the  princess' 
request,  made  a  statement  of  his  Christian  faith,  even  to 
the  repeating  of  a  prayer. 

"  On  that  same  Saturday  afternoon  a  message  came  from 
the  head  man  of  the  village  for  Nan  Chai's  immediate  return 
home.  The  message  was  so  urgent  that  he  concluded  not  to 
wait  for  the  accustomed  Sabbath  morning  worship.  Knowing 
that  there  was  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  some  of  the 
public  officers  to  find  fault  with  the  Christians,  I  thought  it 
best  for  him  to  go  home,  and  not  return  to  us  till  quiet 
should  be  restored.  He  seemed  very  sad,  and  said  that  his 
master  was  disposed  to  oppress  him.  All  that  I  could  say  did 
not  rouse  him  from  his  depression.  He  took  leave  of  us 
about  ten  o'clock  at  night.  When  we  awoke  on  Sabbath 
morning,  he  was  gone.  We  know  now  that  shortly  after 
the  princess  had  given  him  her  letters  of  protection  on 
Saturday  morning,  she  despatched  a  messenger  to  the  head 
man  of  the  village  ordering  Nan  Chai's  arrest.  Imagine 
that  Sabbath  morning's  walk  of  nearly  nine  miles,  much  of 
the  way  through  water  nearly  knee-deep!  Dear  gentle 
heart,  full  of  care  and  fear ! 

"  He  reached  home  about  noon.  After  dinner  he  called 
upon  the  head  man  of  the  village;  but  no  one  knew  the 
nature  of  the  conference.  He  was  permitted  to  sleep  at 
home  that  night.  Next  morning  came  the  order  from  the 
chief  man  of  the  district  for  the  overseers  of  the  temples 
and  those  doing  the  king's  own  work  to  appear  at  his  house. 


116    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

This  order  included,  of  course,  both  our  brethren,  Noi  Sunya 
and  Nan  Chai.  But  to  make  their  attendance  doubly  sure, 
armed  men  were  sent  with  clubs  and  pikes  to  conduct  them 
to  the  appointed  rendezvous.  Noi  Sunya  took  leave  of  his 
wife  and  six  children  in  tears.  He  knew  what  that  call 
and  those  clubs  and  spears  meant.  When  they  reached  the 
house  of  the  district  chief,  they  found  a  large  armed  force 
ready  to  receive  them.  When  arrested  at  their  homes 
they  had  been  charged  with  refusing  to  do  the  king's  work. 
But  now  Nan  Chai  was  asked,  '  Are  you  an  overseer  of  a 
temple  ? '  He  answered,  '  I  was,  but  am  not  now.'  *  Have 
you  entered  the  religion  of  the  foreigners  ? '  *  Yes.'  Noi 
Sunya  was  asked  the  same  question,  to  which  he  also  an- 
swered '  Yes.' 

"  They  were  then  seized,  and  after  further  examination 
were  told  that  they  had  been  condemned  to  death.  While 
Nan  Chai  was  giving  the  reason  of  the  faith  that  was  in 
him,  one  of  the  examiners  kicked  him  in  the  eye,  leaving 
it  bloodshot  and  causing  it  to  swell  till  the  eye  was  closed. 
The  arms  of  the  prisoners  were  tied  behind  their  backs. 
Their  necks  were  compressed  between  two  pieces  of  timber 
(the  death-yoke)  tied  before  and  behind  so  tightly  as  pain- 
fully to  impede  both  respiration  and  the  circulation  of  the 
blood.  They  were  thus  placed  in  a  sitting  posture  near  a 
wall,  and  cords  were  passed  through  the  holes  in  their  ears 
and  tied  to  a  beam  above.  In  this  constrained  and  painful 
position — not  able  to  turn  their  heads  or  bow  them  in  slum- 
ber— they  remained  from  Monday  afternoon  till  Tuesday 
morning  about  ten  o'clock,  when  they  were  led  out  into  the 
jungle  and  executed. 

"  When  Nan  Chai  was  arrested,  his  wife  started  on  a  run 
to  inform  us,  supposing  that  he  would  be  brought  to  the 
city  to  undergo  a  regular  trial.  In  that  case  she  hoped  the 
missionaries  could  ensure  his  release.  She  had  arrived  in 
sight  of  our  house,  when  a  messenger  from  the  head  man 
of  the  village  overtook  her,  and  informed  her  that  if  she 
called  on  us,  it  would  be  at  the  risk  of  her  life.  She  re- 
turned immediately,  to  join  him  at  the  district  chief's  house; 
but  was  informed  that  if  she  made  the  least  demonstration 
of  grief,  she  too  would  be  put  to  death.     She  sat  down  by 


MARTYRDOM  117 

her  husband  for  a  time.  They  conversed  together  as  oppor- 
tunity offered,  being  narrowly  watched  by  the  merciless 
guard.  The  prisoners  both  said,  '  Oh,  if  the  missionaries 
were  here,  we  should  not  have  to  die!'  Nan  Chai's  last 
words  to  his  wife  were,  '  Tell  the  missionaries  that  we  die 
for  no  other  cause  than  that  we  are  Christians.'  One  of  the 
guards  angrily  asked  what  he  had  said.  She  saw  that  it  was 
best  for  her  to  retire,  and  they  parted. 

"  When  Nan  Chai  knew  that  he  and  his  comrade  were 
doomed,  he  said  to  one  of  the  officers,  '  You  will  kill  us ;  we 
are  prepared.  But  I  beg  you  not  to  kill  those  who  are  in 
the  employ  of  the  missionaries.  They  are  not  Christians, 
and  are  not  prepared  to  die.'  What  a  triumph  of  faith  in 
this  once  fearful  disciple!  What  a  noble  forgetfulness  of 
self  in  that  earnest  request  for  the  lives  of  others! 

"  And  now,  after  a  long  and  weary  night  of  painful 
watching,  the  morning  of  Tuesday,  the  14th,  dawns  upon 
them.  The  hour  is  come.  They  are  led  out  into  the  lonely 
jungle.  They  kneel  down.  Nan  Chai  is  asked  to  pray.  He 
does  so,  his  last  petition  being,  '  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my 
spirit.'  The  tenderness  of  the  scene  melts  his  enemies  to 
tears.  The  heads  of  the  prisoners — prisoners  for  Jesus' 
sake — are  drawn  back  by  slightly  raising  the  cruel  yoke  they 
have  worn  for  more  than  twenty  hours.  The  executioner 
approaches  with  his  club.  Nan  Chai  receives  the  stroke  on 
the  front  of  the  neck.  His  body  sinks  to  the  ground  a  corpse. 
.  .  .  Noi  Sunya  receives  upon  the  front  of  his  neck  five  or 
six  strokes ;  but  life  is  still  not  extinct.  A  spear  is  thrust  into 
his  heart.  His  body  is  bathed  in  blood,  and  his  spirit  joins 
that  of  his  martyred  brother.  Their  bodies  were  hastily 
buried.     Their  graves  we  may  not  yet  visit.   .    .    . 

"  Only  a  few  days  before  his  death  Nan  Chai  wrote,  at 
Mrs.  Wilson's  request,  a  little  slip  which  she  forwarded  to  her 
friends  as  a  specimen  of  the  Lao  language.  The  last  line — 
the  last,  no  doubt,  that  he  ever  wrote — contained  the  fol- 
lowing words  '  Nan  Chai  dai  rap  pen  sit  leo.  Hak  Yesii 
nak'  (Nan  Chai  has  become  a  disciple.  He  loves  Jesua 
much)." 


THE  ROYAL  COMMISSION 

A  FTER  the  despatch  of  our  hurried  notes  by  the 
/\  Burmese  on  September  29th,  18G9,  we  felt  rea- 
■^  -^  sonably  sure  that  our  friends  would  learn  the 
news  of  our  situation,  and  we  were  in  a  measure  re- 
lieved. But  at  that  time  we  still  believed  the  reports 
about  the  murder  of  Lung  Puk.  In  fact,  it  was  these 
reports,  which  we  had  just  heard  before  writing  the 
letters  sent  by  the  Burmese,  that  caused  the  great 
anxiety  expressed  in  them.  But  though  we  poured  out 
our  hearts  and  unburdened  our  fears  to  our  friends, 
no  one  in  Chiengmai  outside  of  our  two  families  ever 
knew  the  fears  that  agitated  our  breasts.  For  two 
months  or  more  we  still  feared  that  we  might  be 
treacherously  murdered  under  colour  as  though  it  were 
done  by  robbers  or  dacoits.  We  knew  not  on  lying 
down  at  night  what  might  happen  before  dawn. 

One  of  the  hardest  things  of  the  situation  was  that, 
in  the  presence  of  our  own  dear  children,  we  felt 
obliged  to  speak  to  each  other  of  these  matters  by 
signs  alone,  since  it  seemed  wise  to  conceal  our  fears 
from  them.  When  we  had  native  callers,  or  in  our 
visits  to  the  natives,  we  preached  to  them  just  as  if 
nothing  had  happened.  Some  that  we  know  were 
sent  as  spies  to  see  what  we  were  doing  and  what  we 
were  planning  to  do,  had  nothing  to  report  except  the 
Gospel  message  which  they  had  heard. 

Then  was  the  time  when  a  few  tried  friends  en- 
118 


THE  ROYAL  COMMISSION  119 

deared  themselves  forever  to  us.  Among  these  was 
the  Princess  Bua  Kam,  and  the  abbot  of  the  tJmong 
monastery,  both  of  whom  have  been  mentioned  before. 
The  silver  plate  with  a  little  rice  or  fruit  from  the 
Princess  never  ceased  to  come;  and  the  abbot  often 
made  an  excuse  of  errands  elsewhere  in  our  neigh- 
bourhood that  he  might  have  occasion  to  call  and  ex- 
press his  sympathy. 

One  incident  which  occurred  before  the  various 
rumours  had  been  cleared  up,  though  well-nigh  tragic 
at  the  time,  seemed  afterward  amusing  enough.  After 
the  appalling  treachery  of  the  younger  daughter  of 
the  Prince  in  regard  to  Nan  Chai,  while  professing 
constantly  such  personal  friendship  for  us,  we  natu- 
rally regarded  her  with  profound  distrust.  What,  then, 
was  our  surprise,  when,  one  night  in  the  darkest  time 
of  our  troubles,  a  summons  came  for  me  to  go  at  once 
to  her  palace  with  the  officer  who  brought  the  mes- 
sage. I  was  by  no  means  to  wait  till  morning,  and  I 
could  get  no  clue  to  the  object  of  the  summons.  But 
it  was  almost  a  royal  command.  Whatever  it  might 
mean,  nothing  would  be  gained  by  refusal ;  so  I  prom- 
ised at  once  to  go.  But  a  difficulty  arose.  My  wife 
positively  refused  to  let  me  go  alone.  If  the  worst 
were  to  come,  she  would  be  there  to  see  it. 

So  the  children  were  left  in  bed,  and  off  we  walked 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  the  dark  to  the  palace.  We 
found  it  brilliantly  lighted  up.  Was  it  for  the  final 
act?  But  our  fears  were  soon  allayed.  The  Princess 
received  us  as  she  always  had  done— probably  a  little 
surprised  to  see  Mrs.  McGilvary  with  me.  A  foreign 
rug  was  spread  for  us,  and  soon  was  produced  a 
formidable  package  of  documents  in  English,  which 
the  Princess  wanted  us  to  translate!     They  were  from 


120    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

the  court  in  Maulmein,  and  had  reference  to  the  law- 
suits. Thej  had  just  arrived,  and  she  could  not  wait 
till  morning.  We  glanced  over  them,  gave  her  the 
substance  of  them,  and  promised  that  if  she  would 
send  her  scribe  down  next  day,  we  would  translate 
them.  She  was  relieved  to  find  that  there  was  nothing 
more  formidable  in  them — and  so  were  we.  The  whole 
interview  did  not  last  more  than  fifteen  minutes;  and 
when  ready  to  return,  we  were  escorted  home  by 
servants  with  lanterns. 

For  a  time  we  had  very  few  visitors  even  for  medi- 
cine. But  the  monasteries  were  always  open,  and  we 
were  welcomed  in  nearly  all  the  homes  of  the  princes. 
I  regularly  called  on  the  Prince.  When  he  was  in  a 
pleasant  mood,  I  had  pleasant  conversations  with  him. 
If  I  found  him  moody  or  busy,  I  paid  my  respects  and 
retired.  His  elder  daughter  and  her  husband  were 
always  pleasant,  and  she  was  always  interested  to  talk 
on  the  subject  of  religion. 

Another  friendship  formed  the  year  before  was  then 
a  great  comfort  to  us,  though  no  one  could  really  help 
us.  A  wealthy  Chinese,  who  had  charge  of  collecting 
nearly  all  the  revenue  of  the  government,  had  been 
shot  in  the  city  of  Lampun,  eighteen  miles  away.  A 
messenger  with  an  elephant  was  sent,  begging  me  to 
come  at  once.  It  seemed  at  first  impossible  for  me 
to  go,  but  finally  I  did  so.  The  ball  had  entered  be- 
low the  knee  while  the  man  was  lying  down,  had  fol- 
lowed the  bone,  and  had  lodged  in  the  soft  part  of  the 
thigh.  It  was  extracted,  and  I  remained  there  till 
the  patient  was  out  of  danger.  The  wife,  a  Siamo- 
Chinese,  was  a  merchant,  and  acted  as  our  banker  for 
ten  years.  At  this  writing,  the  family  has  not  yet 
forgotten  the  service  rendered. 


THE  ROYAL  COMMISSION  121 

But  our  hourly  thoughts  were  directed  to  Bangkok. 
What  would  be  the  outcome  of  our  letters?  We  were 
continually  asked  what  we  were  going  to  do.  Our  re- 
ply was  that,  of  course,  we  intended  to  remain.  There 
was  no  telegraph  then,  nor  even  a  monthly  mail.  It 
was  not  till  November  26th  that  the  first  news  of  what 
was  doing  in  our  behalf  reached  us.  It  was  brought 
by  messengers  sent  on  in  advance  to  notify  the  gov- 
ernment that  a  Royal  Commissioner  had  arrived  in 
Lampun,  with  two  foreigners  and  a  train  of  eighteen 
elephants  and  fifty-three  attendants.  They  were  to  be 
in  Chiengmai  the  next  day.  No  intimation,  however, 
was  given  as  to  what  the  object  of  the  Commission  was. 
But  plainly  it  must  be  a  matter  of  no  slight  im- 
portance. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  27th  every  one  was  on 
the  alert.  A  body  of  men  under  the  direction  of  an 
officer  were  scrubbing  the  old  sala  next  door  to  us,  for 
the  letter  had  asked  that  preparations  be  made  for 
the  party.  A  prince  whispered  in  our  ears  to  enquire 
whether  we  knew  what  the  "  Ka  Luang  "  was  coming 
for.  But  we  knew  as  little  as  he  did.  We  were  so 
hopeful,  however,  that  we  began  to  prepare  for  our 
guests,  too.  The  whole  place  seemed  in  an  attitude  of 
expectancy.  The  sudden  arrival  of  a  Ka  Liiang  was 
not  an  everyday  occurrence.  And  then  the  two  for- 
eigners— two  "  white  kolas  " ! 

In  the  afternoon  the  curiosity  of  every  one  was  grati- 
fied by  the  arrival  of  the  long  train  with  the  Commis- 
sioner at  its  head.  The  two  "  white  kolas  "  were  none 
other  than  our  associates  in  the  Siamese  mission,  the 
Rev.  N.  A.  McDonald,  and  the  Rev.  S.  C.  George. 
Were  ever  guests  more  welcome!  The  story  was  soon 
told  of  the  receipt  of  our  letters  in  Bangkok,  and  of  the 


122    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

negotiations  which  had  resulted  in  their  coming  with 
a  Royal  Commissioner  and  with  a  "  Golden  Seal,"  as 
the  royal  letter  is  called.  We  now  knew  definitely  that 
the  Commissioner  had  come  on  the  business  of  the  mis- 
sion and  the  treatment  of  the  Christians,  But  our 
brethren  did  not  know  the  contents  of  the  royal  letter. 
No  human  sagacity  could  yet  predict  what  turn  af- 
fairs would  take.  Was  the  mission  to  be  securely 
established,  or  were  we  to  be  escorted  safely  out  of  the 
country?  The  Commissioner  immediately  notified  the 
Prince  of  his  arrival  with  the  ''  Golden  Seal,"  and 
awaited  His  Highness'  pleasure.  The  Prince's  curi- 
osity and  anxiety  were  guarantee  that  there  would  be 
no  delay.  Nine  o'clock  next  morning  was  niamed  as 
the  hour  for  the  audience.  The  Commissioner  notified 
us  to  be  ready.  An  oflScer  was  sent  with  a  palanquin 
to  escort  the  "  Golden  Seal  "  under  the  golden  umbrella 
to  the  palace. 

Mr.  Wilson  and  I,  of  course,  joined  the  procession. 
On  reaching  the  grand  reception  hall  at  the  palace,  we 
encountered  such  an  array  of  princely  state  as  we  had 
never  before  seen  among  the  Lao.  Every  prince, 
princess,  and  officer  who  could  come  was  already  there. 
I  quote  from  Mr.  McDonald's  oflScial  report  to  the 
Board,  dated  February  2d,  1870,  an  account  of  the  audi- 
ence.    {Presbyterian  Record,  June,  1870.) 

"  The  next  morning  after  our  arrival  the  Regent's  letter 
was  conducted  in  state  to  the  palace  under  the  royal  umbrella, 
and  the  golden  tray  containing  it  was  placed  on  a  stand 
near  the  middle  of  the  hall.  Very  soon  the  king  entered  the 
hall  apparently  calm,  but  pale  with  suppressed  rage.  We 
arose  and  bowed  to  him,  and  then  resumed  our  seats.  The 
Siamese  officers,  however,  remained  prostrate  before  him, 
as  did  every  other  one  in  the  hall.  The  king  immediately 
broke  the  seal  and  handed  the  letter  to  the  Siamese  sec- 


THE  ROYAL  COMMISSION  123 

retary  to  read.  After  the  reading  of  the  letter  he  looked 
tip,  evidently  quite  relieved,  and  remarked,  '  This  letter  does 
not  amount  to  so  much.  It  gives  the  missionaries  privilege 
to  remain  if  they  wish,  or  to  go  if  they  prefer.'  " 

Mr.  McDonald,  then,  as  a  member  of  the  Commis- 
sion, addressed  the  King,  referring  to  the  kindness  with 
which  the  missionaries  had  been  received  by  him  on 
their  arrival — which  was  in  keeping  with  the  favour 
shown  them  in  Bangkok,  and  with  the  beneficent  nature 
of  their  work — but  regretting  that  late  diificulties  had 
made  their  stay  unpleasant.  Among  other  things  he 
referred  to  the  desertion  of  their  servants.  But  neither 
he  nor  the  royal  letter  made  the  slightest  reference 
to  the  murder  of  the  Christians.  Mr.  McDonald  then 
proceeds : 

"  What  I  said  did  not  seem  to  rouse  him.  He  continued 
to  suppress  his  rage,  and  replied,  '  As  to  servants,  he  had 
never  placed  any  hindrance.  He  had  put  to  death  a  couple 
of  fellows — a  thing  which  he  had  a  right  to  do,  since  they 
had  failed  to  do  their  allotted  government  work.  But  that 
was  his  own  business.' " 

The  Prince  evidently  thought  that  the  affair  was 
ended,  and  was  preparing  to  close  the  audience,  greatly 
relieved  that  the  one  dreaded  point  had  not  been  re- 
ferred to  either  in  the  letter  or  in  the  conference.  But 
to  stop  there  would  have  been  an  inexcusable  blunder 
on  our  part.  Not  only  had  the  good  name  of  the  Chris- 
tians been  tarnished,  but  our  own  also,  if  we  had 
made  all  this  great  fuss  about  nothing.  It  was  a  dif- 
ficult thing  to  face  the  Prince  before  his  whole  court, 
and  charge  him  with  falsehood ;  but  he  had  driven  us 
to  it.  If  he  had  not  lied,  we  had.  For  once  we  were 
called   upon   to   stand   before   kings   for   His   name's 


124    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 
sake;  and  I  believe  that  words  were  given  to  me  to 


I  said  that  I  was  sorry  to  be  compelled  to  say  that 
the  Prince  knew  that  he  had  not  spoken  the  truth. 
There  was  not  a  man  or  woman  in  that  audience,  nor 
in  the  whole  country,  who  did  not  know  that  those  two 
men  had  been  put  to  death  for  no  other  pretended 
reason  than  that  they  were  Christians.  It  was  done 
and  was  proclaimed  to  be  done  as  a  warning  to  others. 
They  had  not  refused  to  do  government  work.  The 
charge  that  they  had  failed  to  get  the  slabs  for  the 
stockade  was  a  subterfuge.  There  was  not  a  word  of 
truth  in  it,  as  the  officer  through  whom  it  was  done, 
then  present,  well  knew.  When  these  men  received 
the  order  to  get  the  slabs,  they  started  immediately, 
but  were  at  once  arrested,  and  were  not  allowed  to 
get  them.  In  no  sense  were  they  dealt  with  as  crim- 
inals. On  that  very  day  (over  three  months  after  the 
order),  not  one-fifth  of  the  men  in  the  province  had  as 
yet  brought  in  their  timbers,  and  nothing  was  said 
about  it.  In  this  country  it  was  an  unheard-of  thing, 
even  for  the  gravest  offences,  to  decoy  men  out  from 
their  homes  into  the  jungle,  and  to  kill  them  there  with 
no  pretence  of  a  trial.  There  was  a  Sanam  (Court), 
there  were  regular  officers  of  law,  even  down  to  the 
executioner.  In  the  case  of  these  men,  not  a  single 
form  of  law  had  been  observed.  By  the  Prince's  own 
order  they  had  been  treacherously  arrested,  led  out  into 
the  jungle,  and  cruell}^  clubbed  to  death  in  the  pres- 
ence of  a  lawless  mob  by  a  ruffian  hired  to  do  it. 

The  old  man  looked  on  me  in  mingled  astonishment 
and  rage.  Possibly  till  then  he  thought  we  had  not 
been  able  to  learn  the  facts  and  particulars  in  the  case. 
More  likely  he  thought  that  no  one  would  dare  thus 


THE  ROYAL  COMMISSION  125 

openly  and  publicly  to  expose  them.  But  what  was 
said  had  the  desired  effect.  Up  to  this  point  the 
Prince's  position  had  been  impregnable.  To  assault  it 
successfully  would  have  required  the  production  of 
evidence;  and  no  man  in  the  country,  high  or  low, 
would  have  dared  to  testify  against  him.  But  this  un- 
expected challenge  was  more  than  he  could  endure. 
He  flung  all  caution  to  the  winds.  In  an  instant  his 
sole  defence  was  abandoned.    Mr.  McDonald  says : 

"'Yes/  he  said,  'he  had  killed  them  because  they  had 
embraced  the  Christian  religion.  And  he  would  continue 
to  kill  every  one  who  did  the  same.  Leaving  the  religion 
of  the  country  was  rebellion  against  him,  and  he  would  so 
treat  it.  If  the  missionaries  would  remain  to  treat  the 
sick,  they  might  do  so.  But  they  must  not  make  Christians; 
they  must  not  teach  the  Christian  religion.  If  they  did 
he  would  expel  them  from  the  country  ...  At  one  time 
I  feared  that  he  might  become  uncontrollable,  and  break 
over  all  restraints,  and  do  us  some  personal  injury.  The 
biamese  officer  also  was  alarmed  for  our  safety." 

Matters  now  had  been  brought  to  a  crisis.  The 
Christians  had  been  proved  to  be  not  malefactors,  but 
martyrs.  We  now  understood  each  other,  and  all 
parties  understood  the  situation.  The  Prince's 
bravado  before  the  Commissioner  in  one  sense  was 
politic.  He  had  read  between  the  lines  of  the  King's 
letter  that  the  Siamese  were  afraid  of  him;  and  he 
was  quite  willing  to  have  it  so.  On  the  other  hand,  his 
attitude  might  have  the  effect  of  convincing  them  that 
he  was  a  dangerous  man,  to  be  dealt  with  accordingly 
—and  I  believe  it  did. 

But,  as  Mr.  McDonald  goes  on  to  say,  "  It  was  use- 
less to  attempt  any  further  argument.  The  mission- 
aries merely  told  him  that  it  was  their  intention  to 


126    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

remain.  The  conversation  then  turned  to  other  sub- 
jects, and  the  Prince  became  more  calm.  After  re- 
turning 'to  the  house  of  Mr.  McGilvary,  and  after 
anxious  consultation  and  prayer,  it  was  considered 
best  to  abandon  the  mission  for  a  time." 

The  Commissioner  strongly  advised  us  to  withdraw. 
Mr.  McDonald  was  naturally  timid,  and  hardly  felt 
safe  till  he  was  fairly  out  of  the  country.  He  and  Mr. 
George  were  sure  that  it  would  not  be  safe  for  us  to 
remain  a  single  day  after  the  Commissioner  departed; 
and  Mr.  Wilson  agreed  with  them.  Such,  then,  was 
the  report  made  to  the  Board,  and  the  number  of  the 
Record  from  which  we  have  quoted  above  announced 
the  dissolution  of  the  mission. 

The  news  of  the  scene  in  the  palace  spread  like  wild- 
fire over  the  city.  We  had  scarcely  reached  home  when 
our  neighbours  and  friends  began  to  send  us  secret 
messages  that  it  would  be  foolish  to  remain.  The 
Prince  was  like  a  lion  bearded  in  his  den.  When  the 
Commissioner  left  there  was  no  telling  what  he  might 
do.  The  Commissioner  naturally  felt  some  responsi- 
bility for  our  safety,  and  desired  to  have  us  return  with 
him.  I  so  far  consented  as  to  allow  the  Commissioner 
to  send  word  to  the  Prince  that  we  would  retire  as 
soon  as  we  conveniently  could.  Yet,  from  what  I  knew 
of  the  feeling  of  the  people  toward  us,  I  could  not  see 
that  it  was  the  will  of  Pro\adeuce  that  the  mission 
should  be  abandoned.  Nor  did  I  believe  that  it  would 
be  hazardous  to  remain.  The  Prince  evidently  had  no 
thought  of  actually  renouncing  his  allegiance  to  Siam. 
He  had  been  directed  to  see  to  our  safety,  if  we  wished 
to  remain.  I  think,  too,  that  I  understood  him  better 
than  did  either  our  own  friends  or  the  Commissioner. 
His  bluster  at  the  audience  was  for  effect.     It  was 


THE  ROYAL  COMMISSION  127 

more  than  probable  that,  after  sober  thought,  he  him- 
self would  realize  that  he  had  gone  too  far.  Before 
the  coming  of  the  Commissioner  he  had  been  summoned 
to  Bangkok ;  he  was  at  that  time  busy  preparing  boats 
for  the  journey,  and  was  soon  to  start.  He  was  too 
shrewd  a  man  to  wish  us  to  appear  there  before  him 
as  witnesses  against  him.  It  was,  I  thought,  more 
than  probable  that  he  would  meet  more  than  half- 
way any  advance  made  toward  him,  though  we  could 
not  expect  him  to  make  the  advance  himself. 

Next  morning  before  breakfast  Mr.  Wilson  came 
over  to  have  a  long  walk  and  talk  with  me.  He  did 
not  wish  to  express  his  fears  before  our  children.  He 
argued  with  all  his  logic  that  it  was  better  to  go  while 
we  safely  could.  His  idea  was  to  retire  to  Raheng, 
where  we  would  be  under  the  direct  protection  of  the 
Siamese  government;  for,  after  yesterday's  scene,  he 
was  sure  we  never  could  be  safe  in  Chiengmai.  So  far 
as  he  was  concerned,  I  thought  it  a  good  idea.  He 
might  go,  and  I  would  remain — at  least  as  long  as  I 
could.  He  felt,  however,  that  he  would  be  to  blame 
if  any  disaster  happened  to  us.  From  all  responsibil- 
ity on  that  score  I  freely  exonerated  him.  As  I  viewed 
the  case,  our  personal  risk  was  at  an  end  so  soon  as 
the  situation  should  be  known  in  Bangkok.  The 
Prince  would  no  longer  dare  either  to  do  anything  or 
to  cause  anything  to  be  done  secretly,  as  once  we 
feared  he  would.  Therefore,  notwithstanding  the 
bluster  of  the  day  before,  fear  for  our  personal  safety 
had  little  weight  with  me.  But  quite  apart  from  the 
question  of  danger,  there  was  much  to  be  said  in  favour 
of  Mr.  Wilson's  going  to  Raheng.  The  place  was  an 
important  one  for  missionary  work.  The  result  might 
possibly  be  a  station  in  both  places,  instead  of  in 


128    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

Chiengmai  alone.  His  departure  might  seem  some 
concession  to  the  wishes  of  the  Prince — would  show 
less  determination  to  thwart  his  known  will.  If 
there  were  any  danger  in  remaining,  it  would  be  less 
for  one  family  than  for  two.  All  I  wanted  was  time 
to  see  the  Lord's  will.  At  any  rate,  I  was  not  willing 
to  depart  without  having  an  audience  with  the  Prince 
alone.  Against  this  it  was  urged  that  the  Prince  had 
a  special  grudge  against  me,  because  of  the  vaccination 
of  his  little  grandson,  and  that  this  would  be  increased 
by  my  having  angered  him  the  day  before.  But  of  this 
I  was  not  afraid.  The  parents  of  the  dear  child  had 
begged  me  never  to  think  that  they  blamed  me  for  it. 
As  to  what  had  happened  the  day  before,  I  believed 
the  Prince's  respect  for  me  was  higher  than  it  would 
have  been  had  I  allowed  him  to  bluff  us  with  his  bare- 
faced lie.  The  result  of  our  walk  was  that  Mr.  Wilson 
agreed  to  have  me  call  on  the  Prince  the  next  day, 
though  Mr.  McDonald  maintained  that  for  himself  he 
would  not  risk  it. 

So,  next  morning,  I  called  at  the  palace  at  an  hour 
when  I  knew  I  should  find  the  Prince  alone  with  his 
head-wife.  And,  just  as  I  expected,  he  received  me 
with  unwonted  cordiality.  I  referred  to  the  friend- 
ship between  him  and  my  father-in-law,  Dr.  Bradley; 
to  his  cordial  consent  given  to  our  coming  to  his  coun- 
try to  teach  the  Christian  religion  and  to  benefit  his 
people  in  other  ways ;  to  his  kind  reception  of  us  when 
we  came;  to  his  granting  us  a  place  for  a  home;  and 
to  his  many  other  acts  of  kindness.  We  had  come  to 
him  as  friends,  and  I  could  not  bear  we  should  part  as 
enemies.  As  I  had  anticipated,  his  whole  manner 
showed  that  he  was  pleased  at  my  advance.  That,  too, 
he  said,  was  his  desire.     We  might  remain  at  least  till 


THE  ROYAL  COMMISSION  129 

after  his  return  from  Bangkok,  and  take  all  the  time 
needed  for  a  comfortable  departure.  I  thanked  him 
for  his  consideration,  and  told  him  that  Mr.  Wilson 
would  probably  go  at  once.  We  shook  hands  and 
parted  as  if  the  scene  in  the  palace  had  never  occurred. 
I  had  won  my  point.  What  I  wanted  was  time,  and  I 
had  gained  it.  The  Prince  could  not  possibly  return 
in  less  than  six  months'  time — it  might  be  much  longer. 

In  a  few  days  our  friends  left  us.  Having  no  faith 
in  the  success  of  my  new  negotiations,  or  possibly 
thinking  that  I  might  be  caught  in  a  trap,  they  re- 
ported to  the  Board,  as  we  have  seen,  that  the  mission 
was  broken  up — as  technically  it  was.  This  last  turn 
of  affairs  was  merely  a  private  arrangement  between 
the  Prince  and  myself. 

Had  the  matter  not  passed  beyond  our  power,  I 
doubtless  should  have  been  credulous  enough,  or  weak 
enough,  to  prefer  that  no  further  action  should  be 
taken  by  our  friends  in  Bangkok.  I  did  write  to  Dr. 
Bradley  and  to  our  mission  to  pursue  a  pacific  policy, 
and  to  show  the  Prince  all  kindness,  as,  indeed,  I  knew 
they  would.  But  I  learned  afterwards  that  their  ad- 
vances were  hardly  received  with  courtesy.  Mr. 
George,  who  asked  permission  to  send  by  some  one  of 
the  numerous  fleet  of  boats  some  parcels  to  us,  was 
given  to  understand  that  the  things  would  not  be 
needed,  as  the  Prince  expected  both  families  to  leave 
Chiengmai  upon  his  return. 


XI 

DEATH  OF  KAWILOROT 

THE  Commissioner's  report  of  the  attitude  as- 
sumed by  the  Prince  showed  the  Siamese  gov- 
ernment that  the  man  in  control  of  the  northern 
provinces  was  of  a  spirit  and  temper  that  might  be 
diflScult  to  curb — that  might  at  any  time  throw  every- 
thing into  confusion.  Hitherto  it  had  been  their  pol- 
icy to  strengthen  his  hands  to  any  degree  not  incon- 
sistent with  his  loyalty.  Siam  and  Burma  had  long 
been  rivals  and  enemies.  A  strong  buffer-state  in  the 
north  had  been  a  necessity  to  Siam.  But  conditions 
were  changed.  Burma  was  now  under  English  control, 
and  had  ceased  to  be  a  disturbing  factor  in  the  prob- 
lem. A  change  in  Siamese  policy  as  regards  the  North 
was  inevitable. 

When  the  news  of  the  murder  of  the  Christians  be- 
came known  in  Bangkok,  our  friends  there  deferred  to 
the  wishes  of  the  Siamese  government  as  expressed  by 
the  Regent — whose  goodwill  to  the  mission  and  to  our- 
selves no  one  doubted.  No  steps,  therefore,  were  taken 
to  have  the  United  States  officially  represented  on  the 
Commission.  In  this  we  believe  our  friends  w^ere 
providentially  led.  But  Dr.  House's  letter  does  not 
state,  what  was  also  the  fact,  that  the  United  States 
Consul,  in  whose  presence  the  Lao  Prince  had  given 
his  official  sanction  to  the  establishment  of  the  mis- 
sion, was  anxious  that  the  United  States  should  be  so 
130 


DEATH  OP  KAWILOROT  131 

represented.  And  when  that  Commission  so  signally 
failed  to  accomplish  anything  satisfactory,  it  was  the 
Consul's  turn  to  say  to  our  friends,  "  I  told  you  so." 

Because,  as  they  themselves  expressed  it,  of  the  law- 
less nature  of  the  Lao  Prince,  and  the  consequent  dif- 
ficulty of  protecting  foreigners  so  far  away,  our 
Siamese  friends  would  then  have  preferred  to  have  us 
recalled.  In  fact,  that  was  their  first  thought.  The 
first  draft  of  the  letter  prepared  to  be  sent  by  the  Com- 
mission actually  contained  the  stipulation  that  we  be 
safely  conveyed  back  to  Siam  proper.  It  was  only  the 
indomitable  perseverance  of  Dr.  Bradley — who  frankly 
declared  that  he  would  rather  have  no  such  letter  sent 
at  all — that  secured  the  omission  of  that  clause,  and 
left  the  way  open  for  the  possible  continuance  of  the 
mission.  So,  when  the  Commission  returned  to  Bang- 
kok, and  it  was  known  that  the  Lao  Prince  was  soon 
to  follow  them,  General  Partridge,  the  United  States 
Consul,  immediately  took  up  the  case,  and  insisted 
that  the  Siamese  government  give  guarantee  for  the 
fulfilment  of  promises  publicly  made  by  its  vassal  in 
the  presence  of  officials  of  both  governments.  "  Before 
this  you  could  say, '  He  is  like  a  tiger  in  the  jungle;  we 
cannot  control  him.'  But  when  he  reaches  Bangkok, 
he  is  in  your  power.  You  can  then  make  your  own 
terms  regarding  his  return." 

How  this  negotiation  was  conducted,  I  am  not  aware. 
But  from  the  Preshyterian  Record  of  September,  1870, 
we  learn  that  the  Consul  carried  his  point: 

"Dr.  House  sends  us  word  that  the  Siamese  government 
has  extended  its  protection  over  the  missionaries  in  Chieng- 
mai ;  they  are  not  to  be  molested  in  their  work.  As  the  king 
of  Chiengmai  is  tributary  to  Siam,  this  decision  will  no 
doubt  be  respected.    This  king  is  not  likely  to  live  long,  and 


132     AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

he  will  be  succeeded  by  his  son-in-law,  a  prince  who  has 
shown  a  friendly  interest  in  the  missionaries.  The  interven- 
tion of  the  Siamese  government  was  obtained  by  the  U.  S. 
Consul,  Gen.  Partridge,  not  at  the  instance  of  the  mission- 
aries, but  he  took  the  ground  of  treaty  stipulations  between 
Siam  and  our  country,  which  accorded  the  right  of  pro- 
tection to  American  citizens." 

From  the  Foreign  Missionary  of  September,  1870, 
we  quote  the  following  extract  from  the  Bangkok  Sum- 
mary, doubtless  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Bradley : 

"  I  am  very  happy  to  learn  from  the  most  reliable  authority 
that  His  Grace  the  Regent  has  been  pleased  to  commit  the 
American  citizens  in  Chiengmai  to  the  care  and  protec- 
tion of  the  Maha  Uparat,  the  son-in-law  of  the  king,  charging 
him  to  assist,  nourish,  and  protect  them  so  that  they  shall 
suffer  no  trouble  and  hindrance  in  their  work  from  persecu- 
tions like  those  through  which  they  have  passed  since  Sep- 
tember 12th  last. 

"  His  Grace,  moreover,  is  understood  to  have  promised  that 
he  will  certainly  arrange  to  have  those  American  citizens 
protected  in  Chiengmai  according  to  the  stipulations  of  the 
treaties,  even  though  the  present  king  should  live  and  con- 
tinue his  reign. 

"  The  Maha  Uparat  enjoys  the  reputation  of  being  a  mild 
and  discreet  prince.  He  received  this  his  new  title  a  few 
weeks  since  from  His  Majesty  the  Supreme  King  of  Siam, 
h^  virtue  of  which  he  is  constituted  Second  King  of  Chieng- 
mai. I  learn  that  His  Grace  the  Regent  has  virtually  com- 
mitted the  rule  of  that  kingdom  to  him  during  the  illness  of 
the  king,  and  has  assured  him  that  he  is  ultimately  to 
become  the  king's  successor  to  the  throne. 

"  This  I  regard  as  good  news,  indeed,  and  too  good  to 
be  held  a  day  longer  from  the  public.  Who  will  not  agree 
with  me  that  the  Siamese  government  is  worthy  of  a  great 
meed  of  praise  for  what  it  has  done  in  the  matter  of  the 
Chiengmai  mission?  But  let  us  see  to  it  that  the  King  of 
Kings,  as  well,  receives  our  highest  praise  for  all  these 
gratifying  events  of  His  providence." 


DEATH  OF  KAWILOROT  133 

While  the  Consul  was  pressing  these  claims,  Prince 
Kawilorot,  as  was  intimated  in  the  last  extract,  be- 
came dangerously  ill.  He  was  stricken  with  almost 
instantaneous  loss  of  consciousness,  and  complete 
paralysis  of  speech.  Meanwhile  we  in  Chiengmai,  only 
five  hundred  miles  away,  were  in  profound  ignorance 
of  what  was  happening.  If  we  had  despatched  a  spe- 
cial messenger  thither  for  news,  it  would  have  been 
three  months  before  he  could  have  returned  with  a  re- 
ply. And  the  first  news  we  received  was  not  reassur- 
ing. Word  came  that  the  time  was  set  for  the  Prince's 
return ;  that  he  had  been  promoted  to  higher  honours, 
and  had  received  higher  titles;  that  he  was  returning 
with  full  power,  and  probably  flushed  with  fresh  vic- 
tories. Of  course,  that  did  not  necessarily  mean  very 
much.  Siam  understood  perfectly  the  great  trick  of 
oriental  statecraft,  the  giving  of  high-sounding  titles, 
with,  perhaps,  a  larger  stipend,  in  compensation  for 
the  loss  of  real  power.  But  it  was  a  time  of  great 
anxiety  for  us.  Revenge  was  a  passion  which  that 
man  seldom  left  ungratified.  Would  he  come  breath- 
ing out  slaughter  against  the  church  and  vengeance 
on  us? 

By  and  by  there  came  a  message  stating  that  the 
Prince  was  ill,  and  directing  that  ofi'erings  be  made  for 
his  recovery.  Then  came  news  that  he  was  already 
on  his  way,  and  had  sent  orders  for  a  hundred  ele- 
phants to  meet  him  at  the  landing  station  below  the 
rapids.  Some  surmised  that  his  illness  was  feigned 
in  order  to  escape  the  lawsuits  which  were  pressing 
him.  About  the  middle  of  June  we  learned  that  he 
had  reached  the  landing  station,  but  was  very  seriously 
ill.  It  was  still  more  urgently  enjoined  that  his  rela- 
tives and  the  monasteries  in  Chiengmai  should  "  make 


134    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

merit "  in  his  behalf,  and  propitiate  the  demons  by  gen- 
erous offerings. 

On  the  evening  of  June  29th,  while  riding  through 
the  streets  of  the  city,  some  one  called  out  to  me, 
"  The  Prince  is  dead !  "  No  news  ever  gave  me  such  a 
shock.  I  stepped  in  to  the  residence  of  one  of  the 
princes,  a  nephew  of  Kawilorot,  to  get  the  particulars, 
but  found  him  in  a  dreadful  state  of  mind.  Yes.  The 
Prince  was  dead;  and  word  had  come  that  he  (the 
nephew)  was  to  go  to  Bangkok  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the 
lawsuits — to  answer  in  his  own  name  for  transactions 
done  by  order  of  the  dead  Prince ! 

How  soon  the  strongest  prejudices  fade  and  dis- 
appear in  the  presence  of  death!  The  anxious  fears 
of  his  return  that  had  haunted  us,  all  dissolved  into 
tender  sympathy  now  that  he  was  gone.  We  forgot 
his  treachery  and  cruelty,  and  thought  only  of  his  in- 
teresting human  qualities.  We  recalled  his  taking  tea 
or  dining  with  us,  and  even  the  dry  jokes  that  he  so 
much  enjoyed.  He  was  a  tender  father.  He  could  be 
a  warm,  though  a  fickle  and  inconstant  friend.  In 
many  respects  he  was  a  good  ruler.  He  was  absolute 
and  tyrannical ;  but  there  was  no  petty  thieving  in  his 
realm.  And  now  that  voice  that  had  made  thousands 
tremble  was  silent  in  death !  No  doubt  it  was  with  a 
sigh  of  relief  that  the  Siamese  government  turned  over 
the  government  of  the  North  to  one  whom  they  could 
better  trust. 

But  it  would  be  a  hard  heart  that  could  follow  un- 
moved that  long,  weary  homeward  trip  of  the  dying 
Prince.  He  was  so  weak  that  he  could  not  endure  the 
jarring  caused  by  the  use  of  the  setting-poles.  His  boat 
had  to  be  taken  in  tow  of  another.  When  the  last 
lingering  hope  of  life  died  out,  his  one  desire  was  to 


DEATH  OF  KAWILOKOT  135 

reach  home — to  die  in  his  own  palace.  The  trip 
through  the  rapids  he  could  not  bear,  and  it  was  too 
slow  for  the  dying  man.  Travel  by  elephant  is  both 
rough  and  slow.  He  is  brought  ashore,  therefore,  and 
borne  on  a  litter  as  swiftly  as  relays  of  men  can  carry 
him.  Over  the  mountains  and  up  the  valley  of  the 
Me  Ping,  under  burning  sun  and  through  driving  rain, 
they  hasten.  At  last,  on  the  evening  of  June  28th,  they 
halt  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Me  Ping,  with  only  that 
stream  between  him  and  his  own  country.  "  What 
land  is  this?"  he  asks.  '^  Lampiin,"  is  the  reply. 
''  Carry  me  across  quickly !  "  He  is  obeyed,  but  sinks 
exhausted  by  the  fatigue  of  crossing.  He  passes  a 
restless  night.  His  mind  wanders.  He  dreams  of  be- 
ing at  home;  of  worshipping  in  his  own  palace.  The 
morning  comes.  He  is  still  alive ;  but  so  weak  that,  in 
spite  of  his  eagerness  to  hasten  on,  at  every  few  paces 
his  bearers  must  halt,  while  attendants  fan  him  or 
administer  a  cordial.  At  last  fan  and  cordials  fail. 
The  litter  is  set  down  under  the  two  golden  umbrellas 
that  screen  it  from  the  burning  rajs  of  the  sun.  The 
little  group  stand  with  bowed  heads  and  hushed  hearts 
while  the  spirit  takes  its  flight,  to  appear  before  its 
Maker. — Almost,  but  not  quite  home,  and  with  none 
of  his  immediate  kin  by  him  to  see  the  end!  The  at- 
tendants cover  the  body  with  a  cloth,  and  hasten  on  to 
the  next  station,  a  few  miles  below  the  city.  The  pro- 
cession halted  there  at  about  the  very  time  that  the 
messenger  reached  Chiengmai  with  the  news  that  he 
was  dead. 

Such,  as  I  learned  next  day  from  the  attending 
prince,  were  the  last  hours  of  His  Highness  Chao 
Kawilorot  Suriyawong,  Prince  of  Chiengmai.  He  died 
at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  June  29th,  1870,  in 


136    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

the  seventieth  year  of  his  age,  and  in  the  sixteenth  of 
his  reign. 

Next  morning  before  breakfast  I  was  sent  for  by  the 
younger  daughter  of  the  Prince,  to  go  to  the  residence 
of  the  nephew,  whom  I  had  left  late  in  the  evening 
before  in  such  a  distracted  state  of  mind.  How 
shocked  was  I  on  entering  to  find  the  prince  cold  and 
dead!  The  Princess  wished  to  get  my  judgment 
whether  he  was  really  dead  beyond  all  hope  of  resusci- 
tation. But  it  required  no  skilled  physician  to  an- 
swer that  question.  He  had  evidently  died  by  a  dose 
of  opium  administered  by  his  own  hands.  The  little 
cup  from  which  it  was  taken  was  still  by  his  bedside. 
Whether  it  was  intentional  suicide  to  escape  the  law- 
suits of  his  deceased  master,  or  was  simply  designed 
to  ease  the  mental  troubles  of  that  night,  they  could 
tell  as  well  as  I.  In  either  case,  he  slept  the  sleep 
that  knows  no  waking  till  the  summons  of  the  last 
trump. 

After  breakfast  I  rode  out  to  the  encampment,  only 
two  or  three  miles  away,  where  the  body  of  the  Prince 
was  lying.  The  family  and  officers  and  friends  were 
assembled  to  look  for  the  last  time  on  that  noted  face. 
The  last  act  before  placing  the  body  in  the  coffin  was 
to  cover  it  throughout  with  gold-leaf,  to  give  it  the  ap- 
pearance of  being  a  Buddha.  But  no  gold-leaf  could 
disguise  that  face.  The  family  remained  there  a  few 
days,  partly  for  the  much  needed  rest,  but  chiefly  to 
await  a  day  of  good  augury  for  carrying  the  remains 
to  the  city. 

The  day  was  well  chosen  for  such  a  pageant  as  the 
country  had  not  seen,  to  honour  alike  the  departed, 
and  to  welcome  the  succeeding  Prince.  There  was  a 
long  and  imposing  procession  of  soldiers,  monks,  and 


DEATH  OF  KAWILOROT  137 

people  marching  to  the  wailing  of  the  funeral  dirge  and 
to  the  slow,  solemn  beat  of  drums.  Near  the  head  of 
the  line,  on  his  elephant,  was  the  son-in-law,  Chao  In- 
tanon,  soon  to  be  Prince  of  Chiengmai.  Not  far  be- 
hind came  the  body  of  the  dead  Prince,  borne  on  a 
golden  bier  and  accompanied  by  a  large  train  of  yel- 
low-robed priests.  Behind  this  was  the  vacant  throne, 
and  on  it  the  royal  crown,  both  testifying  to  the  empti- 
ness of  human  pomp  and  power.  Then  came  one  lead- 
ing the  horse  His  Highness  used  to  ride ;  and  next,  his 
favourite  elephant,  its  huge  body  covered  with  trap- 
pings of  gold.  After  these  came  members  of  the 
Prince's  family  and  other  near  relatives. 

About  ten  o'clock  the  procession  approached  the  city 
which,  by  inexorable  custom,  may  never  open  its  gates 
to  receive  the  dead — not  even  though  the  dead  were  he 
whose  word  for  so  many  jears  had  been  its  law.  What 
a  comment  on  human  glory  and  on  the  tyranny  of  su- 
perstitious custom!  On  reaching  the  South  Gate, 
therefore,  the  procession  turned  to  the  right,  and 
passed  on  outside  the  city  wall  to  the  East  Gate. 
There,  in  the  Prince's  summer  garden,  beside  the  river, 
his  remains  lay  in  state  until  the  great  cremation  cere- 
mony a  year  later.  Meantime  a  lamp  was  kept  burn- 
ing at  the  head  and  at  the  foot  night  and  day.  A 
prince  was  in  constant  attendance.  Courses  of  monks 
chanted  the  requiem  of  the  Buddhist  ceremonial  for  the 
dead.  At  intervals  during  the  whole  night  the  beat 
of  the  drum  resounded  through  the  air,  reminding 
the  city  that  there  lay  all  that  remained  of  one  of  its 
greatest  masters. 

Prince  Intanon,  though  not  yet  oflScially  installed, 
assured  me,  as  soon  as  I  met  him  at  the  encampment, 
that  we  were  to  remain  and  build  our  houses  and  prose- 


138   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

cute  our  work  without  let  or  hindrance.  Other 
princes  and  officers  were  pleased  to  give  the  same  as- 
surance. With  the  Prince's  party  there  came  a  large 
mail  from  friends  in  Bangkok,  giving  full  particulars 
of  the  negotiations  that  were  stopped  by  the  sudden 
illness  of  the  Prince,  and  clearing  up  the  questions 
about  which  we  were  so  much  in  doubt.  The  interposi- 
tion of  Providence  had  been  so  marked  that  we  could 
only  stand  in  awe  before  Him  who  had  so  wonderfully 
led  us.  For,  after  the  utmost  stretch  of  my  own 
credulity  in  trying  to  trust  the  Prince,  my  final  con- 
viction is  that,  had  he  lived,  he  and  the  mission  could 
not  have  existed  in  the  same  country.  He  could  never 
have  endured  to  see  his  people  becoming  Christians — 
Not  that  he  cared  so  much  for  Buddhism;  but  it 
would  have  been  a  constant  challenge  to  his  autocratic 
rule. 

In  March,  while  the  scenes  of  this  tragic  drama  were 
slowly  enacting  in  Bangkok,  and  while  we  were 
anxiously  awaiting  the  denouement,  we  had  a  pleasant 
episode  of  another  kind.  One  morning  we  were  sur- 
prised to  learn  from  some  natives  that  out  on  the  plain, 
not  far  from  the  city,  they  had  passed  two  white  for- 
eigners, a  man  and  a  woman,  and  that  they  were  com- 
ing to  our  house.  Sure  enough,  about  ten  o'clock,  who 
should  ride  up  but  Rev.  and  Mrs.  J.  N.  Gushing  of  the 
American  Baptist  Mission  in  Burma!  What  an  un- 
expected pleasure!  For  three  years  we  had  seen  but 
two  white  faces  outside  of  our  own  little  circle.  Some 
of  our  latest  news  from  home  friends  was  eleven  months 
old  when  we  received  it.  What  a  social  feast  we  did 
have! 

They  had  started  from  Shwegyin,  Burma,  had  made 
a  tour  west  of  the  Salwin  River,  crossed  over  to  Keng 


DEATH  OF  KAWILOROT  139 

Tung,  come  down  by  Chieng  Sen  and  Chieng  Rai,  and 
now  called  at  Cliiengmai  on  their  way  back  to  Burma. 
Their  visit  was  a  real  godsend  to  us  in  the  time  of  our 
troubles. 


XII 
THE  NEW  REGIME 

ONE  of  the  results  of  the  change  of  government 
was  that  we  were  able  to  build  permanent 
houses.  For  three  years  and  more  we  had 
lived  within  basket-woven  bamboo  walls  that  a  pocket- 
knife  could  pierce,  neither  secure  nor  wholesome  nor 
favourable  for  our  work.  They  bore  silent  but  steady 
testimony  that  we  ourselves  did  not  regard  our  stay 
as  permanent.  The  results  of  our  manner  of  living 
were  already  seen  in  the  impaired  health  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  mission.  My  wife  surely  could  never  have 
lived  another  decade  in  the  old  sala  with  bamboo  walls 
and  ceiling,  where  the  dust  from  the  borers  in  the 
wood  constantly  filled  the  air  and  poisoned  the  lungs. 
Mrs.  Wilson  bore  up  bravely  for  five  years,  until  there 
was  just  ready  for  her  reception  the  permanent  house 
which  she  was  never  to  enjoy.  As  soon  as  they  could, 
the  family  started  for  the  United  States  on  furlough, 
all  thoroughly  broken  down.  After  two  years  of  rest 
Mr.  Wilson  alone  was  able  to  return  to  the  field,  leaving 
Mrs.  Wilson  behind.  She  never  regained  her  health, 
and  they  never  saw  each  other  again.  Her  departure 
was  a  great  loss  to  the  mission.  She  was  a  gifted 
lady,  a  fine  vocal  and  instrumental  musician,  and  a 
consecrated  missionary.  She  left  one  literary  work  in 
Lao,  the  translation  of  Bunyan's  Pilgrim's  Progress, 
which  has  since  been  published. 
140 


THE  NEW  REGIME  141 

But  as  matters  then  were,  there  was  much  perplexing 
work  to  be  done  before  we  were  at  all  ready  to  begin 
building.  I  was  favoured  in  getting  a  lot  of  first 
class  teak  logs  delivered  at  a  very  cheap  rate.  Then 
the  trouble  began.  The  logs  must  be  hauled  up  from 
the  river  by  elephants  to  the  lot  where  they  are  to  be 
sawn.  The  log  is  raised  and  mounted  on  two  strong 
trestles.  A  black  line  to  guide  the  saw  is  struck  on 
either  side.  Two  sawyers  stand  facing  each  other 
across  the  log,  grasping  the  handles  of  a  long  framed 
saw  with  horizontal  blade.  Then  the  operation  begins. 
The  saw  is  pushed  and  pulled  back  and  forth  till  the 
cut  is  carried  through  to  the  end  of  the  log.  This 
operation  is  repeated  for  every  stick  of  timber  put 
into  the  house. 

But  we  are  already  too  fast.  Where  are  the  sawyers 
to  come  from?  There  were  then  no  good  sawyers 
among  the  Lao.  No  one  dared  to  learn  for  fear  of  be- 
ing appropriated  by  the  Prince,  or  of  being  compelled 
to  work  on  public  buildings.  There  were,  however, 
three  pairs  of  sawyers,  debtors  to  the  Prince,  whom  he 
had  brought  up  from  Raheng  for  his  own  work. 
Whenever  not  needed  by  him  or  by  some  other  person 
of  rank,  they  were  allowed  to  seek  employment  else- 
where. So,  at  odd  times,  I  was  able  to  secure  their 
services.  But  if  the  Prince  needed  them,  they  must  at 
once  drop  everything  and  go.  Scores  of  times  our 
sawyers  were  called  away,  often  for  weeks  at  a  time, 
and  at  the  busiest  stage  of  the  work. 

And  now  for  the  carpenter.  The  Lao  dared  not  be 
known  as  carpenters  for  the  same  reason  as  that  given 
above  in  the  case  of  the  sawyers.  They  would  have 
been  constantly  requisitioned  for  government  work. 
There  was  in  the  place  only  one  Siamese  carpenter 


142    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

reputed  to  be  a  good  workman.  In  order  to  get  him, 
I  had  to  advance  him  three  hundred  rupees,  professedly 
to  pay  a  debt,  but  most  likely  to  gamble  with.  He  was 
to  build  by  contract.  But  he  had  already  received 
his  money,  or  so  much  of  it  that  he  was  quite  inde- 
pendent. He  soon  slashed  and  spoiled  more  timber 
than  his  wages  were  worth.  So,  to  keep  him  from 
ruining  the  whole,  I  had  to  get  rid  of  him,  even  at 
some  sacrifice.  Just  then  a  Siamo-Chinese  turned  up, 
who  took  the  job  by  the  day  under  my  direction,  to  be 
assisted  by  some  Christians  whom  we  trained  thus  as 
apprentices.  The  house  was  built  on  the  plan  of  the 
East  Indian  bungalow — raised  ten  feet  from  the  ground 
on  posts,  with  single  walls  and  a  veranda  all  round. 
Its  large  lofty  rooms,  screened  on  all  sides  by  the 
verandas,  make  it  still  one  of  the  most  comfortable 
houses  in  the  mission.  It  was  more  than  eight  years 
from  the  time  of  our  arrival  when  we  entered  it;  and 
even  then  it  was  not  finished. 

Although  the  new  government  was  friendly,  yet 
some  of  the  ruling  spirits  were  in  their  hearts  as  hostile 
as  the  deceased  Prince  had  ever  been,  and  without  his 
more  noble  qualities.  There  were  two  in  particular 
who  soon  began  to  show  that  their  secret  influence 
would  be  against  the  mission — and  their  open  hostility, 
too,  so  far  as  they  ventured  to  let  it  appear.  One 
was  the  adopted  son  of  the  late  Prince,  and  the  other 
the  new  ruler's  half-brother,  who  had  been  made 
Uparat,  or  second  in  power,  when  the  new  Prince 
ascended  the  throne.  Had  these  both  lived,  their  com- 
bined influence  would  have  been  nearly  as  formidable 
as  that  of  Kawilorot.  Unfortunately,  too,  the  actual 
business  of  the  country  was  largely  in  their  hands. 
Prince  Intanon  was  not  at  all  ambitious  for  pow^r. 


THE  NEW  Rl^GIME  143 

He  liked  nothing  better  than  to  work  without  care  or 
responsibility  in  his  own  little  workshop,  making  fancy 
elephant-saddles,  and  let  his  half-brother  rule  the  coun- 
try. During  the  following  year  the  adopted  son  went 
down  to  Bangkok  to  receive  the  insignia  of  his  new 
rank,  but  never  returned.  His  death  was  even  more 
sudden  than  that  of  his  foster-father.  He  was  taken 
with  the  cholera,  and  died  in  a  few  hours.  This  left  the 
elder  of  the  two  avowed  enemies  of  Christianity,  and 
the  higher  in  rank  and  power.  To  give  an  illustration 
of  the  kind  of  spirit  we  had  to  contend  with  in  him,  I 
will  anticipate  an  incident  of  a  few  years  later. 

Two  native  Karens,  ordained  ministers,  were  sent  by 
the  American  Baptist  Mission  to  initiate  in  Lao  ter- 
ritory a  work  among  the  Karens,  a  hill-people  scat- 
tered sparsely  throughout  all  the  mountain  region  be- 
tween Siam  and  Burma.  The  native  evangelists 
brought  with  them  letters  from  the  missionaries  in 
Burma,  requesting  us  to  aid  them  in  getting  Lao  pass- 
ports. We  went  with  them  to  the  new  Prince,  and  he 
very  graciously  gave  direction  to  his  brother  to  see 
that  passports  were  issued,  stating  not  only  that  the 
visitors  were  to  be  protected  and  aided  as  travellers, 
but  also  that  they  were  to  be  allowed  to  teach  the  new 
religion,  and  that  people  were  allowed  to  embrace  it 
without  fear. 

I  was  specially  interested  that  they  should  succeed 
in  the  first  village  which  they  were  to  visit,  for  it  was 
the  one  where  I  had  vaccinated  the  whole  population 
during  the  first  year  of  our  mission.  Since  I  had 
failed  to  make  Christians  of  them — partly,  as  I  sup- 
posed, on  account  of  my  ignorance  of  their  language, 
but  more  on  account  of  the  persecution  which  fol- 
lowed so  soon  after — I  hoped  that  when  the  message 


144    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

was  delivered  in  their  own  tongue,  with  official  per- 
mission to  embrace  it,  the  whole  village  might  accept 
the  Gospel.  What  was  the  astonishment  of  the 
preachers  that,  instead  of  being  received  with  the  char- 
acteristic hospitality  of  their  race,  they  hardly  found 
common  civility!  At  last  they  learned  the  reason. 
The  Chao  Uparat  had  secretly  despatched  a  special 
messenger  with  a  letter  under  his  own  seal,  forbid- 
ding any  Karen  subject  to  embrace  the  new  religion. 
All  who  did  so  were  to  be  reported  to  him.  What 
that  meant,  or  what  he  wished  them  to  infer  that  it 
meant,  was  well  understood. 

Our  readers,  therefore,  will  not  be  surprised  that 
we  found  it  necessary  to  keep  an  eye  on  the  Chao 
Uparat,  and  to  use  considerable  diplomacy  in  coun- 
teracting his  schemes  against  the  church.  It  was  my 
policy  in  those  days  to  keep  up  as  close  an  acquaint- 
ance as  possible  with  the  members  of  the  ruling  fam- 
ily. It  was  the  misfortune  of  all  of  them  that  they 
were  ignorant ;  ^  and  ignorance  begets  suspicion.  Some 
of  them  were  naturally  suspicious  of  the  missionaries. 
They  could  not  understand  what  motive  could  induce 
men  who  were  neither  government  ofiScials  nor 
merchants,  to  leave  a  great  country  and  come  to  live  in 
theirs. 

Two  objects  were  gained  by  keeping  in  contact  with 
the  rulers.  They  saw,  then,  with  their  own  eyes,  and 
heard  with  their  own  ears,  what  we  were  doing.  In 
nearly  every  interview  our  one  great  work  was  mag- 
nified alike  to  prince,  priest,  and  people.  I  have  here- 
tofore specially  mentioned  princesses,  too,  as  well  as 
princes,  in  this  connection,  because  the  Lao  have  a 

^  This  same  Uparat,  whose  word  ruled  the  country,  was  unable  to 
write  bis  own  orders. 


THE  NEW  RfiGIME  145 

proud  pre-eminence  among  non  Christian  races  in  the 
position  accorded  to  woman.  In  the  family,  woman's 
authority  is  universally  recognized.  At  the  time  we 
speak  of  it  was  much  the  same  in  the  government  also. 
The  influence  of  women  in  affairs  of  state  was  doubt- 
less greatly  increased  during  the  previous  reign,  when, 
there  being  no  sons  in  the  royal  household,  the 
daughters  naturally  became  more  prominent.  They 
were  trained  to  understand  and  to  deal  with  public 
business. 

I  have  already  referred  to  the  kindness  of  the  elder 
daughter,  now  not,  as  in  former  reigns,  the  head-wife, 
but  the  only  wife  of  the  new  ruler.  By  birth  she  was 
of  higher  rank  than  he;  and  she  was  in  every  way 
worthy  of  the  high  position  she  now  assumed.  Hers 
was,  in  fact,  the  strong  intelligence  and  steady  will 
that  kept  her  more  passive  consort  from  errors  into 
which  he  would  otherwise  have  been  led.  At  this  par- 
ticular juncture  she  was  needed  as  a  check  against 
the  Prince's  more  ambitious  and  less  principled  half- 
brother.  She  had  a  woman's  instinct  to  discern  a 
point,  and  a  woman's  revulsion  against  lawless  acts, 
even  when  done  by  her  own  father.  In  honesty  of 
purpose  she  and  her  consort  were  one,  for  his  kind- 
ness of  heart  had  drawn  to  him  more  dependents  than 
any  other  prince  in  the  land  possessed.  The  murder 
of  the  Christians  they  both  regarded  as  "  worse  than  a 
crime — a  blunder."  For  the  present,  however,  there 
was  no  indication  of  the  sinister  forces  which  came 
into  play  later.  All  in  authority  seemed  to  be  hon- 
estly carrying  out  the  orders  from  Bangkok  concern- 
ing the  missionary  work. 

A  year  was  spent  in  preparation  for  the  ceremonies 
attending  the  cremation  of  the  dead  Prince.    During 


146    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

the  last  three  months  of  this  time,  everything  else  in 
the  whole  land  yielded  place  to  it.  Not  only  was  there 
requisition  of  men  and  materials  throughout  the  prov- 
ince of  Chiengmai ;  but  all  the  neighbouring  states  fur- 
nished large  levies  of  men  under  the  personal  direction 
of  their  princes  or  officers  of  rank.  Such  occasions 
offer  exceptional  opportunities  for  meeting  people  from 
all  parts  of  the  country,  for  forming  lasting  friend- 
ships, and  for  sending  some  knowledge  of  the  Gospel 
to  distant  provinces.  In  after  years  I  never  made  a 
tour  on  which  I  did  not  encounter  friends  whose  ac- 
quaintance I  had  made  at  the  great  cremation  fes- 
tival. 

The  preparations  were  hastened  somewhat  because 
of  the  unsettled  state  of  the  country.  Chao  Fa  Kolan, 
the  Ngio  freebooter  of  whom  we  have  already  heard, 
was  still  at  his  old  tricks.  Emboldened  by  the  death 
of  the  Prince,  and  the  confusion  incident  to  the  change 
of  rulers,  he  had  become  more  insolent  than  ever. 
Villages  had  been  burned  within  less  than  a  day's 
march  from  the  city.  Bands  of  men,  euphemistically 
called  an  army,  were  levied  and  despatched  to  capture 
him;  but  long  before  they  could  reach  him,  he  was 
safe  within  his  stronghold  in  the  mountains. 

The  dead  Prince  was  born  on  a  Sunday;  therefore 
every  important  event  of  his  life  must  take  place  on 
that  day,  even  to  the  last  dread  summons,  which  is 
not  under  man's  control — and  beyond  that,  to  the 
final  disposition  of  his  mortal  remains.  Sunday, 
therefore,  was  the  first  day  of  the  ceremonies.  On 
that  day  the  body  was  removed  from  the  summer  gar- 
den to  the  "  Men,"  where  it  was  to  lie  in  state  to  re- 
ceive the  homage  of  his  relatives  and  subjects  until 
the  following  Sunday.    The  morning  of  each  day  was 


A    CREMATION    PROCESSION 


THE  NEW  REGIME  147 

devoted  to  "  merit-making "  of  various  kinds — feed- 
ing the  monks,  making  offerings  to  them,  and  listening 
to  the  reading  of  the  sacred  books.  The  afternoons 
were  largely  spent  in  boxing  games,  a  favourite  amuse- 
ment of  the  Lao.  The  evenings  were  given  up  to 
gambling. 

Everything  went  on  according  to  programme  until 
Thursday  morning,  when  the  festivities  were  rudely  in- 
terrupted. Chao  Fa  Kolan,  the  bandit  chief,  taking 
advantage  of  the  occasion,  made  one  of  his  sudden 
forays  to  within  so  short  a  distance  of  Chiengmai  that 
he  actually  had  posted  on  the  city  gates  during  the 
night  an  insolent  manifesto  to  the  effect  that  the  as- 
sembled Princes  need  not  trouble  themselves  further 
with  the  cremation  of  the  dead  Prince.  He  and  his 
band  would  attend  to  that!  The  news  produced  a 
tremendous  panic.  The  whole  business  of  the  crema- 
tion was  incontinently  stopped.  A  force  was  sent  out 
after  the  marauder — with  the  usual  result.  Before  the 
end  of  the  week,  however,  the  panic  had  sufficiently 
subsided  to  permit  the  ceremonies  to  be  resumed.  The 
cremation  itself  was  carried  out  on  the  following  Sun- 
day as  planned. 

During  all  these  years  the  demand  for  medical  treat- 
ment, and  the  opportunity  which  its  exercise  brings, 
had  been  constantly  growing.  I  made,  for  example, 
a  second  trip  to  Lampiin,  this  time  at  the  call  of  the 
Chao  Uparat  of  that  city.  The  poor  man  had  con- 
sumption, and  at  first  sent  to  me  for  some  foreign 
medicine,  thinking  that  would  surely  cure  him.  Judg- 
ing from  his  symptoms  as  reported,  I  sent  word  that  I 
could  not  cure  him;  that  the  soothing  mixture  which 
I  sent  was  sent  in  hope  that  it  might  give  him  a  few 
nights'  rest ;  but  that  was  all  I  could  do.    Presently  he 


148   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

sent  an  elephant  with  a  most  urgent  appeal  that  I  come 
to  see  him.  I  was  glad  of  the  call,  for  it  gave  me  the 
opportunity  of  directing  a  dying  man  to  something 
even  more  urgently  needed  than  medicine.  I  spent 
a  few  days  with  him,  and  visited  all  of  the  leading 
families  and  officials  of  the  place,  establishing  most 
valuable  and  friendly  relations  with  them. 

Long  before  this  time,  both  the  demand  for  med- 
ical treatment  and  the  responsibility  involved  far  ex- 
ceeded what  any  person  without  complete  professional 
training  could  undertake  to  meet.  We  had  urged 
upon  our  Board  the  claims  of  our  mission  for  a  physi- 
cian. The  following  touching  appeal,  which  appeared 
in  the  Foreign  Missionary  for  March,  1870,  was  made 
by  Mr.  Wilson  not  long  after  the  death  of  his  son 
Frank.  After  sending  an  earnest  appeal  from  Nan 
Inta  for  helpers,  Mr.  Wilson  says: 

"  Of  course  Nan  Inta's  call  for  help  includes  in  it  a 
Christian  physician.  Who  will  respond?  I  am  convinced 
there  are  many  young  men  in  the  medical  profession  whose 
love  for  Jesus  and  whose  sympathy  with  human  sufferings 
are  strong  enough  to  bring  them  all  the  way  to  Chiengmai, 
if  they  will  but  yield  themselves  to  this  constraining  influ- 
ence. Christian  physician,  you  are  greatly  needed  here.  The 
missionary's  family  needs  you.  This  suffering  people  needs 
you.  You  were  needed  months  since,  when  a  voice  so  sweet 
and  full  of  glee  was  changed  to  piteous  shrieks  of  pain.  You 
were  not  here  to  give  relief;  and  if  you  now  come,  it  will 
not  greet  you,  for  it  is  hushed  in  death.  You  are  needed 
here  now.  A  plaintive  cry  comes  to  me  as  I  write.  It  is  the 
voice  of  our  dear  babe,  whose  weak  condition  fills  our  hearts 
with  deepest  anxiety.  May  I  not  interpret  this  plaintive 
cry  as  addressed  to  you?  It  is  the  only  way  that  M.  has 
of  saying  to  you,  *  Come  to  Chiengmai.'  When  you  arrive, 
she  may  be  sleeping  beside  her  little  brother.  But  you  will 
find  others,  both  old  and  young,  whose  pains  you  may  be  able 


THE  NEW  REGIME  149 

to  soothe,  and  whose  souls  you  may  win  from  the  way  that 
leads  to  eternal  death." 


Great  was  our  joy,  therefore,  when,  in  the  summer 
of  1871,  we  learned  that  Dr.  C.  W.  Vrooman,  from 
Dr.  Cuyler's  church  in  Brooklyn,  had  responded  to 
our  appeal,  and  already  was  under  appointment  of  our 
Board  for  Chiengmai.  His  arrival  was  delayed  some- 
what because  it  was  thought  unsafe  for  him  to  make 
the  river  trip  during  the  height  of  the  rainy  season. 
So  it  was  January  22d,  1872,  before  we  welcomed 
him  to  Chiengmai.  He  came  with  high  credentials  as  a 
physician  and  surgeon  with  experience  both  in  private 
and  in  hospital  practice.  He  began  work  on  the  day 
of  his  arrival.  He  found  Nan  Inta  at  the  point  of 
death  from  acute  dysentery;  and  his  first  trophy  was 
the  saving  of  that  precious  life.  Had  he  done  nothing 
else,  that  alone  would  have  been  well  worth  while. 
One  or  two  operations  for  vesical  calculus  gave  him 
such  a  reputation  that  patients  came  crowding  to  him 
for  relief.     In  his  first  report  he  writes : 

"  I  was  very  glad  to  commence  work  as  soon  as  I  arrived 
in  the  field.  The  number  was  large  of  those  who  came  to 
the  brethren  here  for  daily  treatment;  and  such  is  the  repu- 
tation which  they  have  established  for  themselves  as  physi- 
cians, that  the  demand  for  our  professional  services  is  greater 
than  we  can  properly  meet.  I  am  satisfied  that  the  demand 
for  a  medical  missionary  here  was  not  too  strongly  urged 
by  the  brethren  in  their  earnest  appeals  to  the  Board. 

"  I  have  already  had  much  professional  work  to  do,  and 
while  I  am  ministering  to  physical  ailments,  Brother  Mc- 
Gilvary,  who  is  kindly  my  interpreter,  has  opportunity  to 
break  unto  many  the  bread  of  life.  .  .  .  Two  men  have 
just  left  who  came  a  long  distance,  hoping  we  could  bring 
to  life  a  brother  who  had  died  hours  before." 


XIII 
EXPLORATION 

NOT  long  after  Dr.  Vrooman's  arrival  it  was  de- 
cided to  undertake  our  first  extended  tour.  It 
was  important  to  ascertain  the  size  and  pop- 
ulation of  our  whole  field ;  and  this  could  be  accom- 
plished only  by  personal  exploration.  A  journey  for 
this  purpose  would,  of  course,  aff'ord  abundant  oppor- 
tunity for  preaching  the  Gospel;  it  would,  besides, 
give  the  doctor  a  needed  change,  and  would  effectually 
advertise  his  work.  Our  objective  was  Luang  Prabang, 
then  one  of  the  largest  of  the  provinces  of  Siam,  as  it 
was  also  the  most  distant  one.  A  journey  to  it  seemed 
the  most  profitable  that  could  be  made  during  the  time 
at  our  disposal,  and  the  most  comfortable  as  well, 
since  a  large  stretch  of  it  could  be  made  by  boat.  It 
was  already  too  late  in  the  season  to  accomplish  all 
that  we  desired ;  but  "  half  a  loaf  is  better  than  no 
bread."  It  might  be  years  before  a  longer  trip  could 
be  made.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  sixteen  years  be- 
fore I  visited  Luang  Prabang  again. 

The  Prince  gave  us  a  passport,  sending  us  as  his 
guests  to  be  entertained  without  expense;  though,  of 
course,  we  always  paid  our  way.  Our  letter  stated 
that  we  went  as  teachers  of  religion  and  as  physicians 
for  the  sick.  It  was  a  virtual  proclamation  for  all 
the  sick  to  apply  to  us  for  treatment.  This  gave  fre- 
quent occasion  for  retort  that  we  did  not  remain  long 
150 


EXPLORATION  151 

enough  to  comply  with  our  letter.  We  could  only  re- 
ply by  pointing  to  the  clouds  and  the  long  journey 
ahead. 

The  party  consisted  of  Dr.  Vrooman,  myself,  a  cook, 
a  body-servant,  and  eight  carriers,  with  a  newly 
baptized  convert  as  the  only  available  assistant  in  the 
religious  work.  The  elephants  required  for  our  trans- 
portation over  the  first  stage  of  our  journey — to  Chieng 
Rai — we  had  secured,  for  a  wonder,  without  effort,  and 
very  cheaply.  Their  owner  was  anxious  to  get  them 
out  of  the  country  to  escape  an  epidemic  which  then 
was  prevalent.  The  start  was  on  April  15th,  1872,  after 
a  heavy  storm  which  ushered  in  the  rainy  season.  This 
was  my  first  trip  over  the  road  to  Chieng  Rai,  after- 
wards so  familiar  to  me.  After  leaving  the  plain  of 
Chiengmai,  the  road  ascends  the  valley  of  the  Me 
Kuang  River,  fording  that  stream  no  less  than  forty- 
nine  times  before  it  reaches  the  summit,  3100  feet 
above  sea-level,  the  watershed  between  the  Me  Ping 
and  the  Me  Kong.^  Thence  it  descends  to  the  Me  Kok 
at  Chieng  Rai.     The  owner  of  our  elephants  travelled 

1  In  standard  Siamese  the  vowel  in  the  name  of  this  great  river  is 
undoubtedly  long  o,  and  has  been  so  since  the  days  of  the  earliest 
Siamese  writing.  Such  also  seems  to  have  been  the  understanding 
of  the  early  travellers  who  first  brought  the  name  into  European 
use,  for  Mekong  is  the  uniform  spelling  of  all  the  standard  Atlases 
and  Gazetteers  which  I  have  been  able  to  consult.  In  the  Lao  dia- 
lect, however,  the  vowel  is  that  represented  by  aw  in  lawn.  This  is 
the  pronunciation  which  Mr.  J.  McCarthy,  Director  of  the  Siamese 
Royal  Survey  Department,  heard  in  the  North,  and  transferred  to 
the  Map  of  Siam,  which  he  compiled,  as  Me  Kawng.  This,  how- 
ever, Mr.  R.  W.  Giblin,  Mr.  McCarthy's  successor  in  oflSce,  recog- 
nized as  an  error,  and  assured  me  that  it  should  be  corrected  in  the 
new  map  which  he  hoped  soon  to  publish.  Mr.  Giblin,  however, 
has  left  the  service,  and  the  map,  I  fear,  has  not  yet  been  issued. 
But  since  Siamese  speech  and  the  usage  of  geographical  authorities 
are  at  one  on  this  point,  there  can  scarcely  be  question  as  to  the 
proper  form  for  use  here.— Ed. 


152    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

with  us,  and  was  unnecessarily  tender  to  his  beasts. 
In  consequence  we  were  ten  days  making  this  stage 
of  the  trip,  which  afterwards,  with  my  own  elephants, 
I  used  to  make  in  less  than  six.  On  this  trip  I  walked 
almost  the  whole  distance. 

At  Chieng  Rai  we  were  cordially  received.  The  gov- 
ernor listened  to  the  Gospel  message,  and,  I  believe, 
received  it  in  faith,  as  we  shall  see  later.  Thence  we 
took  boat  down  the  Me  Kok  to  its  junction  with  the 
Me  Kong.  The  sand-bar  where  we  spent  the  Sabbath 
was  covered  with  fresh  tracks  of  large  Bengal  tigers. 

Shortly  after  this  we  passed  out  of  the  Me  Kok  into 
the  great  Me  Kong,  with  reference  to  which  I  take 
the  liberty  of  quoting  from  a  recent  work,  Five  Years 
in  Siam,  by  H.  Warrington  Smyth,  F.R.G.S. 

"  Few  can  regard  the  Me  Kawng  without  feeling  its  pecu- 
liar fascination.  That  narrow  streak  connecting  far  coun- 
tries with  the  distant  ocean, — what  scenes  it  knows,  what 
stories  it  could  tell!  Gliding  gently  here,  and  thundering 
with  fury  there  where  it  meets  with  opposition;  always  con- 
tinuing its  great  work  of  disintegration  of  hard  rocks  and 
of  transport  of  material;  with  infinite  patience  hewing  down 
the  mountain  sides,  and  building  up  with  them  new  coun- 
tries in  far  climes  where  other  tongues  are  spoken;  it  never 
stays  its  movement.  How  few  men  have  seen  its  upper 
waters!  What  a  lonely  life  altogether  is  that  of  the  Me 
Kawng!  From  its  cradle  as  the  Gorgu  River  in  the  far 
Thibetan  highlands,  to  its  end  in  the  stormy  China  Sea,  it 
never  sees  a  populous  city  or  a  noble  building.  For  nearly 
three  thousand  miles  it  storms  through  solitudes,  or  wan- 
ders sullenly  through  jungle  wastes.  No  wonder  one  sat  by 
the  hour  listening  to  its  tale.  For  though  but  dull  to  read 
of,  the  wide  deep  reality  rolling  before  one  had  an  intense 
interest  for  a  lonely  man. 

"  Rising  in  about  33°  17'  N.  Lat.  and  94°  25'  E,  Long,  in 
the  greatest  nursery  of  noble  rivers  in  the  world,  where  six 


EXPLORATION  153 

huge  brethren  have  so  long  concealed  the  secrets  of  their 
birth,  it  flows  southeast  through  Chinese  Thibetan  territory 
to  Chuande,  where  the  tea  caravan  road  from  Lhasa  and 
Thibet  on  the  west,  crosses  it  eastward  towards  Ta  Chien  Lu 
and  China,  over  10,000  feet  above  sea  level." 

Almost  within  sight  from  the  mouth  of  the  Me  Kok 
were  the  ruins  of  Chieng  Sen,  once  the  largest  city 
in  all  this  region.  Its  crumbling  walls  enclose  an 
oblong  area  stretching  some  two  miles  along  the  river. 
Seventy  years  before  our  visit  it  had  been  taken  by  a 
combined  army  of  Siamese  and  Lao.  Its  inhabitants 
were  divided  among  the  conquerors,  and  carried  away 
into  captivity.  At  the  time  of  our  visit,  the  city  and 
the  broad  province  of  which  it  was  the  capital  had 
been  desolate  for  three-quarters  of  a  century.  Nothing 
remained  but  the  dilapidated  walls  and  crumbling 
ruins  of  old  temples.  Judging  from  its  innumerable 
images  of  Buddha,  its  inhabitants  must  have  been  a 
very  religious  people.  One  wonders  whence  came  all 
the  bronze  used  in  making  them  in  those  distant  days. 
To  me  it  was  an  unexpected  pleasure  to  find  myself  in 
that  old  city,  the  ancestral  home  of  so  many  of  our 
parishioners.  Little  did  I  think  then  that  twenty 
years  later  I  should  aid  in  organizing  a  church  where 
we  then  stood.  The  Me  Kong  is  here  a  mighty  stream. 
It  must  be  a  magnificent  sight  in  time  of  high 
water. 

A  short  distance  below  the  city  we  passed  a  vil- 
lage recently  deserted  because  of  the  ravages  of  the 
tigers.  The  second  day  from  Chieng  Sen  brought  us 
to  Chieng  Kawng,  one  of  the  largest  dependencies  of 
the  province  of  Nan.  There  we  spent  two  very  inter- 
esting and  profitable  days.  I  had  met  the  governor 
in  Chiengmai.     He  was  delighted  with  my  repeating 


154    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

rifle,  and  had  us  try  it  before  him.  There  was  also 
his  son,  who  not  long  after  was  to  succeed  the  father; 
but  his  story  we  shall  come  upon  some  twenty  years 
later. 

At  this  place  we  were  fortunate  in  finding  an  empty 
trading-boat  going  to  Liiang  Prabang,  in  which  the  gov- 
ernor engaged  for  us  passage  on  very  reasonable  terms. 
We  left  Chieng  Kawng  on  May  3d.  The  trip  to  Liiang 
Prabang  occupied  five  days,  and  was  one  of  the 
memorable  events  of  my  life.  In  some  respects  the 
scenery  is  not  so  striking  as  that  of  the  Me  Ping  rapids. 
The  breadth  of  the  river  makes  the  difference.  You 
miss  the  narrow  gorge  with  overhanging  cliffs  and  the 
sudden  bends  closing  in  every  outlet.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  you  have  an  incomparably  greater  river 
and  higher  mountains.  I  quote  again  from  Mr.  War- 
rington Smyth  the  following  description  of  one  portion 
of  the  river  scenery : 

"  The  high  peaks,  towering  5,000  feet  above  the  river, 
which  give  it  such  a  sombre  appearance,  are  generally  of  the 
very  extensive  limestone  series.  They  present  tremendous 
precipices  on  some  of  their  sides,  and  their  outlines  are 
particularly  bold.  .  .  .  Some  miles  above  Luang  Prabang 
the  large  and  important  tributaries  of  the  Nam  IJ  and  the 
Nam  Seng  enter  the  Me  Kawng.  The  clear  transparent 
water  of  these  tributaries  forms  a  strong  contrast  to  the 
brown  sediment-laden  water  of  the  Me  Kawng.  ...  In 
some  of  the  rapids  with  sloping  bottoms,  the  first  jump  over 
the  edge  is  very  pleasant;  the  fun  then  comes  in  the  short 
roaring  waves.  Everybody  on  board  is  fully  occupied;  the 
men  at  the  bow-oar  canting  her  head  this  way  and  that, 
the  helmsman  helping  from  the  other  end  to  make  her  take 
its  straight,  the  men  at  the  oars  pulling  for  all  they  are  worth, 
and  the  rest  bailing  mightily,  or  shouting  to  any  one  who  has 
time  to  listen.  If  the  rapid  is  a  bad  one,  the  crews  land  to 
have  a  meal  before  tackling  it,  and  stop  to  chew  some  betel 


EXPLORATION  155 

and   compare  notes   after  it.     So   it   is   always   a   sociable 


event 


My  travelling  companion,  Dr.  Vrooman,  thus  gives 
his  impressions. 

"  The  current  of  the  Cambodia  is  very  swift,  in  places 
so  much  so  that  it  was  dangerous  to  navigate.  The  river  is 
nearly  a  mile  wide  in  places;  and  where  the  channel  is  nar- 
row, it  rushes  along  with  frightful  rapidity.  No  scenery  is 
finer  throughout  the  entire  distance  we  travelled  on  it. 
Mountains  rise  from  either  bank  to  the  height  of  three  or 
four  thousand  feet.  The  river  fills  the  bottom  of  a  long, 
winding  valley;  and  as  we  glided  swiftly  down  it,  there 
seemed  to  move  by  us  the  panorama  of  two  half-erect  hang- 
ing landscapes  of  woodland  verdure  and  blossom.  Only  as 
we  neared  the  city  did  we  see  rough  and  craggy  mountain 
peaks  and  barren  towering  precipices." 

Twenty-six  years  later  I  descended  the  M^  tj  River 
from  Mftang  Kwii  to  Liiang  Prabang,  and  then  ascended 
it  again.  The  perpendicular  rock-cliffs  at  its  junction 
with  the  Me  Kong  surpass  any  that  I  ever  saw  else- 
where. 

Of  greater  interest  to  me,  however,  than  roaring 
rapids  and  towering  rocks  were  the  evidences  of 
numerous  human  habitations  perched  far  above  us  on 
the  mountain  sides.  Rarely  can  their  houses  or  vil- 
lages be  seen ;  but  in  many  places  their  clearings  have 
denuded  the  mountains  of  all  their  larger  growth.  It 
was  tantalizing  not  to  be  able  to  stop  and  visit  these 
people  in  their  homes.  But  my  first  opportunity  to 
make  extensive  tours  among  them  was  not  till  some 
twenty  years  later.  As  for  the  Me  Kong,  my  comment 
is :  If  I  wished  an  exciting  river  trip,  and  had  a  com- 
fortable boat,  I  should  not  expect  to  find  a  more  en- 


156    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

chanting  stretch  of  three  hundred  miles  anywhere  else 
on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Luang  Prabang  was  then  the  most  compactly  built 
of  all  Siamese  cities  outside  of  Bangkok,  which,  in 
some  respects,  it  resembled.  It  differs  from  the  other 
Lao  cities  in  having  no  great  rural  population  and  ex- 
tensive rice-plains  near  it.  Its  rice  supply  was  then 
levied  from  the  hill-tribes  as  a  tribute  or  tax.  The 
city  has  a  fine  situation  at  the  foot  of  a  steep  hill  some 
two  hundred  feet  high,  tipped,  as  usual,  with  a  pagoda. 
The  Nam  Keng  there  joins  the  Me  Kong,  dividing  the 
city  into  two  unequal  portions.  The  view  from  the 
top  of  the  hill  is  delightful.  The  inhabitants  belong 
to  a  large  branch  of  the  Tai  race,  extending  southward 
at  least  to  Cambodia.  They  are  called  the  Lao  Pung 
Khao  (White-bellied  Lao),  as  ours,  because  of  their 
universal  practice  of  tattooing  the  body,  are  called  Lao 
Pung  Dam  (Black-bellied). 

The  Prince  of  Liiang  Prabang  was  absent  from  the 
city  hunting  wild  elephants,  in  which  game  his  prov- 
ince abounds.  The  Chao  Uparat  gave  us  a  hospitable 
welcome.  Behind  the  city  is  a  noted  cave  in  a 
mountain,  which  the  natives  think  is  the  abode  of 
the  very  fiercest  evil  spirits.  No  doubt  the  real  spirits 
are  the  malarial  germs  or  the  poisonous  gas  which 
later  we  found  to  be  the  chief  danger  of  the  Chieng 
Dao  cave.  It  was  in  this  cave  that  M.  Mouhot,  a 
noted  French  scientist,  contracted  the  fever  from  which 
he  died.  The  natives  believed  that  his  death  was 
caused  by  his  rashness  in  trespassing  upon  the  domain 
of  the  spirits  who  preside  over  the  cave.  We  were 
astonished  at  some  sorts  of  fish  displayed  in  the 
market,  such  as  I  never  saw  anywhere  else.  Mr.  Mc- 
Carthy tells  of  assisting  at  the  capture  of  one,  a  pla 


EXPLORATION  157 

buk,  seven  feet  long,  with  a  body-girth  of  four  feet 
and  two  inches,  and  weighing  one  hundred  and  thirty 
pounds. 

We  remained  in  Luang  Prabang  six  days,  leaving  it 
on  May  14th.  I  was  very  loath  to  go  so  soon.  The 
people  were  eager  for  books  as  well  as  for  medicine. 
It  was  the  one  place  where  Siamese  books  were  well 
understood.  We  could  have  disposed  of  basketfuls 
of  the  Scriptures,  as  Dr.  Peoples  did  twenty-four  years 
later.  It  is  one  of  the  anomalies  of  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury that  when  we  finally  were  ready  to  establish  a 
Christian  mission,  after  the  country  had  passed  from 
non-Christian  to  Christian  rulers,  we  could  not  get 
permission. 

From  Luang  Prabang  we  again  took  boat  to  Ta  Dfla, 
some  sixty  miles  below.  There  we  bade  good-bye  to 
the  wonderful  river,  and  turned  our  faces  homeward. 
Our  elephants  were  good  travellers,  the  swiftest  we 
had  so  far  found.  They  gave  us  no  chance  to  stroll 
on  in  advance,  and  rest  till  they  should  come  up,  as 
we  had  done  before.  They  brought  us  to  Nan  in  six 
days,  four  of  which  were  spent  in  travel  over  high 
mountain  ridges.  Our  road  passed  near  the  great  salt 
wells;  but  we  had  no  time  for  sight-seeing. 

Two  experiences  on  this  portion  of  the  trip  will  not 
be  forgotten.  One  was  a  fall  from  my  tall  elephant. 
A  flock  of  large  birds  in  covert  near  us  suddenly 
flew  up  with  loud  shrill  cries.  I  was  reclining  in  the 
howdah  at  the  time,  and  raised  myself  up  to  look  out 
under  the  hood,  and,  while  suspended  there  in  unstable 
equilibrium,  another  and  louder  cry  close  at  hand  made 
the  beast  give  a  sudden  start  backwards,  which  landed 
me  in  a  puddle  of  water.  Fortunately  no  further  dam- 
age was  done.    Another  annoyance,  more  serious,  was 


158    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

the  land-leeches  which  we  often  encountered  when  we 
dismounted  to  walk.  The  whole  ground  and  every 
shrub  and  twig  seemed  covered  with  the  tiny  creatures. 
Sensitive  to  the  least  noise,  each  one  was  holding 
on  by  his  tail,  and  waving  his  head  back  and  forth 
to  lay  hold  of  any  passing  animal.  We  soon  found 
that  they  had  a  special  fondness  for  the  genus  homo. 
Do  what  we  might,  every  hundred  yards  or  so  we 
had  to  stop  to  rub  them  off,  while  the  blood  ran 
profusely  from  their  bites.  We  had  none  of  the  herbs 
which  the  Muso  bind  on  their  legs  to  keep  them  off. 

On  Saturday  evening  we  reached  Nan,  the  first  place 
where  I  found  friends  since  leaving  Chieng  Rai.  Chao 
Borirak,  whom  I  had  met  in  Chiengmai,  nephew  of  the 
Nan  Prince,  and  a  few  others,  were  soon  on  hand  to 
give  us  welcome  and  to  offer  any  aid  we  needed.  The 
Prince  was  a  venerable  old  man,  with  four  sons — fine 
men,  all  of  them.  The  country  was  well  governed, 
though  it  long  continued  conservative  as  regards  the 
adoption  of  foreign  ways  and  the  welcoming  of  foreign 
traders.  I  fell  in  love  with  Nan  at  first  sight,  and 
marked  it  for  a  future  mission  station. 

On  our  departure  from  Nan,  Chao  Borirak  accom- 
panied us  as  far  as  Pre,  bringing  his  own  elephants — 
one  of  them  a  colt,  which  he  rode  astride  like  a  horse — 
the  only  one,  in  fact,  that  I  ever  saw  so  used.  At  Pre 
we  found  our  government  letter  not  very  effective. 
Rupees,  however,  were  effective  enough  to  prevent  any 
long  delay.  The  ruling  authority  in  Pre  has  always 
seemed  weak. 

There  was  an  amusing  circumstance  connected  with 
an  eclipse  of  the  moon  while  we  were  there.  Since 
the  conversion  of  Nan  Inta,  I  had  taken  pains  to 
announce  each  eclipse  as  it  was  to  occur.     I  did  so  in 


EXPLORATION  159 

Pre  the  day  before  it  was  due.  The  eclipse  took 
place  early  in  the  night,  and  I  expected  to  hear  the 
city  resound  with  the  noise  of  every  gun  and  fire- 
cracker in  the  place.  But  everything  was  as  quiet  as 
a  funeral.  It  seemed  to  be  regarded  as  our  eclipse. 
The  silence  may  have  been  intended  to  test  our  asser- 
tion that  Rahii  would  renounce  his  hold  without  the 
noise,  or  possibly  they  were  unwilling  to  proclaim  thus 
publicly  the  superior  wisdom  of  the  foreigner  in 
predicting  it.  At  any  rate,  they  utterly  ignored  it, 
and  let  the  monster  have  his  will  unmolested. 

My  associate  had  gained  all  that  could  have  been 
expected  from  the  tour;  but  an  aching  tooth  was  giv- 
ing him  great  trouble,  and  we  hurried  on.  We  reached 
home  on  June  22d,  just  sixty-eight  days  out.  We 
found  neither  family  in  very  good  health.  The  doc- 
tor's toothache  drove  him  to  such  desperation  that  he 
insisted  on  my  trying — all  unpractised  as  I  was — to 
extract  the  offending  eyetooth.  It  broke.  There  was 
then  nothing  to  do  but  to  make  the  trip  to  Bangkok 
for  the  nearest  professional  help.  By  the  time  he  re- 
turned, it  began  to  be  evident  that  he  could  not  hope 
to  remain  long  in  the  field. 

Between  Bangkok,  Pechaburi,  and  Chiengmai,  I  had 
been  fifteen  years  in  the  field;  and  my  wife  had  been 
in  the  country  from  girlhood  without  change.  We  had 
both  endured  it  remarkably  well,  considering  that  we 
had  had  tbe  strain  of  starting  two  new  stations.  Be- 
fore the  end  of  the  year,  however,  ray  wife  had  reached 
the  limit  of  her  strength,  and  it  became  necessary  to 
hurry  her  out  of  the  country.  So,  on  the  3d  of  Janu- 
ary, 1873,  she  was  carried  in  a  chair  to  the  boat,  and 
we  embarked  for  the  United  States. 


XIV 
THE  FIRST  FURLOUGH 

THE  tour  of  the  previous  season  had  been  so 
hasty  and  unsatisfactory,  that  I  was  very 
anxious,  if  possible,  to  duplicate  the  homeward 
stretch  of  it  as  far  as  Nan,  then  descend  the  Pitsanulok 
Fork  to  the  Menam,  and  so  follow  my  family  to  Bang- 
kok. But  would  it  be  safe  to  leave  my  wife  to  make 
the  river  trip  without  me,  when  she  was  in  such  weak 
condition,  and  burdened  with  the  care  of  four  chil- 
dren, the  youngest  of  whom  was  but  two  years  old? 
I  embarked  and  travelled  with  them  as  far  as  the  land- 
ing for  Lampiin — where  we  must  separate,  if  I  were 
to  cross  over  to  Nan — still  uncertain  as  to  what  I 
ought  to  do.  It  was  then  Friday.  We  decided  to  stop 
there  over  Sunday,  and  see  how  matters  looked  on 
Monday  morning.  The  quiet  and  rest  of  the  boat  were 
improving  her  condition  somewhat;  and  her  own 
bravery  made  up  whatever  was  lacking  there.  I  had 
secured  a  strong  letter  from  the  Prince,  calling  for 
the  best  of  steersmen  through  the  rapids,  and  for 
protection  where  the  boat  should  stop  for  the  night. 
So,  with  some  anxiety,  but  with  strong  faith  that  the 
plan  in  itself  so  desirable  would  prosper,  we  separated 
— one  party  going  by  boat  down  the  Me  Ping,  and  the 
other  going  afoot  across  country  to  Lamptin.  For  the 
present  we  leave  the  wife  and  children,  to  hear  their 
report  when  we  meet  again. 
160 


THE  FIRST  FURLOUGH  161 

M J  plan  was  to  rely  on  getting  elephants  from  point 
to  point.  Elephants  are  always  very  hard  to  get;  so 
it  seemed  doubtful  whether  my  confidence  were  faith 
or  presumption.  But  I  was  remarkably  favoured.  At 
Lampiin  there  was  not  an  elephant  nearer  than  the 
forests,  save  two  of  the  governor's  own.  I  had  trusted 
to  his  friendship,  and  it  did  not  fail  me.  I  got  off 
in  fine  style  next  morning  on  the  governor's  two  ele- 
phants, with  a  letter  to  all  the  governors  on  the  route 
directing  them  to  see  that  I  was  supplied  with  what- 
ever I  needed  on  the  journey. 

I  felt  strong  in  having  with  me,  in  the  person  of 
Nan  Inta,  so  wise  a  teacher  and  such  a  living  witness 
of  the  power  of  the  Gospel.  On  our  first  visits  it  has 
usually  seemed  wise  to  spend  much  of  the  time  in  vis- 
iting and  making  known  the  Gospel  privately  to  those 
of  reputation,  as  we  know  one  wise  missionary  did 
in  old  times.  It  is  necessary  to  give  the  rulers  a  clear 
idea  of  the  non-political  nature  of  our  work.  In  order 
to  do  this,  we  must  show  positively  what  our  message 
is— not  merely  that  we  are  religious  teachers,  but  that, 
as  such,  we  have  a  message  different  from  all  others, 
not  antagonistic  or  hostile  to  them,  but  supplementing 
rather  that  which  they  offer. 

In  visiting  among  the  princely  families  in  the  old 
city  of  Lakawn  we  met  one  most  interesting  case.  It 
was  that  of  an  aged  bedridden  Princess  high  in  rank, 
who  received  the  Gospel  with  all  readiness  of  mind. 
By  nature,  habit,  and  grace  she  had  been  very  religious. 
She  had  in  her  day  built  temples  and  rest-houses,  had 
feasted  Buddhist  monks,  and  had  fasted  times  with- 
out number,  in  order  to  lay  up  a  store  of  merit  for  the 
great  future.  She  hoped  sometimes  that  she  had 
laid  up  a  sufficient  store;  but  the  five  and  the  eight 


162    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

commands  were  against  her.  She  had  killed  animals; 
and  the  command  is  explicit,  and  condemns  without  a 
saviour.  That  the  Creator  of  all  had  made  these 
creatures  for  our  use  and  benefit  was  a  new  idea.  That 
of  itself  would  remove  much  of  the  burden  on  her  con- 
science. And  as  one  after  another  of  the  great  truths 
of  revelation  was  opened  up  to  her,  particularly  the 
doctrine  of  the  incarnation  and  atonement  of  our  di- 
vine-human Redeemer,  it  seemed  as  if  the  burden  was 
lifted.  Nan  Inta  was  himself  a  living  testimony  that  the 
Christian  teaching  can  and  does  give  instantaneous 
relief  when  simply  believed.  It  is  difficult  to  tell 
which  was  more  touching,  the  sympathetic  earnestness 
of  the  speaker,  or  the  comfort  it  imparted  to  the 
hearer.  The  Princess  begged  us  to  come  again  and 
often.  And  neither  of  us  found  any  other  place  so 
attractive. 

After  a  week  spent  in  Lakawn,  we  departed  on  our 
way  to  Nan.  The  next  Sunday  we  spent  in  the  forest. 
I  look  back  with  delightful  memories  to  the  occa- 
sional Sabbaths  thus  spent  in  the  deep  forest  after  a 
busy  week  with  no  rest  and  no  privacy — a  Sabbath 
in  solitude,  away  from  every  noise,  and  even  every 
song  except  the  music  of  the  wind  and  the  song  of 
birds!  We  always  had  service  with  our  men;  and 
then,  under  the  shade  of  some  cool  spreading  tree,  or 
beside  a  flowing  brook,  one  could  be  alone  and  yet  not 
alone.  No  one  more  needs  such  retirement  than  a 
missionary,  whose  work  is  always  a  giving-out,  with 
fewer  external  aids  for  resupply  than  others  have. 

The  next  Sunday  we  spent  in  Wieng  Sa,  the  first 
of  the  numerous  little  outlying  towns  of  Nan.  On 
Monday  we  reached  Nan  itself,  the  limit  of  our  tour  in 
that  direction.     The  country  was  well  governed,  the 


THE  FIRST  FURLOUGH  1G3 

princes  intelligent,  and  the  common  people  friendly. 
But  the  special  attraction  that  Nan  had  for  me  largely 
centred  around  one  man,  the  Prince's  nephew,  Chao 
Borirak — the  one  that  rode  astride  the  young  elephant 
to  see  us  safe  to  Pre  on  our  earlier  trip,  with  whom 
we  used  to  talk  religion  about  the  camp-fires  till  the 
small  hours  of  the  morning.  We  left  him  then  ap- 
parently on  the  border  land  of  Christianity,  with 
strong  hope  that  he  soon  would  be  ready  to  profess 
publicly  the  faith  which  he  was  almost  ready  to  con- 
fess to  us.  His  rank  and  connection  would  make  him 
of  great  assistance  in  opening  a  station  in  Nan,  which, 
next  to  Chiengmai,  was  the  most  important  province 
in  the  Lfio  region.  Again  he  offered  us  a  warm  wel- 
come, giving  up  his  time  to  visiting  with  us  the  rulers 
and  the  monasteries,  in  one  of  which  his  son  had  long 
been  an  abbot.  It  seemed  as  if  Nan  Inta's  experience 
would  be  all  that  was  needed  to  settle  his  faith.  At 
his  request  I  asked  and  received  permission  from  the 
Prince  for  him  again  to  accompany  us — with  his  young 
elephant  foal  and  her  mother — five  daj^s'  journey  to 
Ta  It,  where  I  was  to  take  boat.  Our  walks  by  day 
and  our  talks  by  night  are  never  to  be  forgotten.  But 
the  convenient  season  to  make  a  public  profession  never 
came.  He  lived  in  hope  of  seeing  a  station  in  Nan,  but 
died  not  long  before  the  station  was  established. 

At  Ta  It  no  boat  was  to  be  had  either  for  sale  or 
for  hire.  But  my  face  was  turned  toward  home,  and  I 
would  have  gone  on  a  raft.  I  had  to  do  the  next  thing 
— to  take  a  small  dug  out  which  the  Prince  got  for 
me,  and  go  on  to  Utaradit,  the  next  town  below.  There 
I  was  able  to  purchase  a  boat,  which  I  afterwards  sold 
in  Bangkok  for  what  it  cost  me.  Nan  Inta  was  the 
steersman,  and  my  four  men  rowed.     Our  longest  stop 


164    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

was  at  Pitsanulok,  where  the  Siamese  mission  now 
has  a  station.  On  reaching  Bangkok  I  was  delighted 
to  find  that  my  family  had  made  their  long  trip  down 
the  other  river  in  safety,  though  not  without  great 
anxiety,  and  some  threatened  danger.  Our  oldest 
daughter  had  been  quite  ill  on  the  way.  Once  they 
came  perilously  near  falling  a  prey  to  a  band  of 
robbers.  It  was  only  by  a  clever  ruse  of  the  captain 
that  they  escaped.  As  soon  as  he  caught  sight  of  the 
suspicious-looking  group  of  men  on  a  sand-bar  ahead, 
he  had  the  gong  loudly  sounded.  That  and  the  wav- 
ing American  flag  evidently  made  them  think  that  this 
was  the  leading  boat  of  some  prince's  flotilla.  They 
incontinently  fled  into  the  forest.  At  the  next  stop- 
ping-place our  boatmen  learned  that  it  was,  indeed, 
a  marauding  band  that  had  committed  many  depreda- 
tions on  passing  boats.     What  a  merciful  preservation ! 

We  spent  a  few  weeks  in  Bangkok,  resting  and  vis- 
iting in  the  home  of  my  father-in-law,  Dr.  Bradley,  of 
sainted  memory.  It  proved  to  be  the  last  time  that 
we  ever  saw  him.  He  lived  only  a  few  months  after 
that. 

In  fifteen  years  the  world  had  moved.  Going  round 
"  the  Cape,"  even  in  a  good  clipper  ship  like  the  David 
Brown,  had  become  too  slow.  We  took,  instead,  the 
steamship  Patroclus  from  Singapore  to  London,  via 
the  Suez  Canal.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Keyesberry,  a  mis- 
sionary friend  of  Dr.  Bradley's,  had  been  waiting  to  find 
an  escort  to  England  for  two  young  sons  and  a 
daughter.  We  gladly  undertook  that  service,  and  so 
had  a  flock  of  seven  young  folks  to  look  after ! 

We  were  barely  under  way  when  our  own  children 
broke  out  with  the  measles.  The  disease,  fortunately, 
proved  to  be  of  a  mild  type,  and  our  new  charges  were 


THE  FIRST  FURLOUGH  1G5 

not  hard  to  manage.  So,  on  the  whole,  we  got  along 
very  well.  In  London  we  had  unexpected  trouble  be- 
cause the  friend  who  was  to  meet  Alice  Keyesberry 
at  the  dock  failed  to  appear,  and,  strangely  enough,  we 
had  received  no  memorandum  of  her  destination.  It 
cost  us  two  days'  search  to  discover  her  friends  at  the 
Walthamstow  Mission  School. 

The  boys  I  had  promised  to  convoy  as  far  as  Edin- 
burgh. So,  leaving  my  family  in  London,  I  had  the 
great  pleasure  of  a  visit  to  the  beautiful  Scotch  cap- 
ital. The  day  spent  there  was  to  me  a  memorable 
one.  It  was,  however,  a  matter  of  great  regret  that, 
being  so  near  the  Highlands,  I  could  not  also  visit  the 
original  home  of  my  ancestors. 

We  arrived  in  New  York  on  July  11th,  1873,  after 
an  absence  of  fifteen  years.  Under  any  circumstances 
fifteen  years  would  work  great  changes.  But  that 
particular  fifteen  had  included  the  Civil  War.  The 
changes  in  the  South  were  heart-rending. 

Though  North  Carolina  was  drawn  late  into  the 
Confederacy,  it  is  said  that  she  furnished  a  larger 
number  per  capita  of  soldiers  and  had  a  larger  num- 
ber of  casualties  than  any  other  state  in  the  South. 
The  havoc  among  my  old  schoolmates  and  pupils,  and 
among  my  flock,  was  distressing.  In  many  places,  too, 
the  sectional  feeling  was  still  bitter.  The  wisest  of 
the  people,  however,  were  becoming  fully  reconciled 
to  the  results  of  the  war.  The  largest  slaveholder  in 
my  own  section  assured  me  that  the  freeing  of  his 
slaves  had  been  a  boon  to  him,  and  that  he  was  clear- 
ing more  from  his  old  farm  under  free  labour  than 
he  had  done  before  with  slaves. 

Unfortunately  in  the  churches  the  feeling  was  more 
bitter.    My  old  associate,  Dr.  Mattoon,  had  accepted 


166    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

the  presidency  of  Biddle  Institute  at  Cliarlotte — now 
Biddle  University  (colored).  For  a  time  he  was  very 
coldly  received  except  by  such  broad-minded  men  as 
his  old  Princeton  classmate,  and  my  friend,  Dr.  Charles 
Phillips.  By  virtue,  however,  of  his  noble  Christian 
character  and  his  conservative  bearing,  Dr.  Mattoon 
overcame  these  prejudices,  and  lived  to  be  welcomed 
jn  the  largest  churches  in  the  state.  I  spent  most 
of  my  furlough  in  North  Carolina;  and  personally  I 
received  a  welcome  almost  as  warm  as  if  I  were  a  mis- 
sionary of  the  Southern  Board.  Returned  missionaries 
were  not  numerous  then.  It  was  not  an  uncommon 
thing  for  me  to  lecture  in  churches  which  had  never 
before  seen  the  face  of  a  foreign  missionary. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  in  the  United  States  news 
came  of  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Vrooman ;  and  my  first 
duty  was  to  find  a  successor.  For  myself,  and  even  for 
my  family,  I  could  endure  to  return  without  one.  But 
I  could  not  face  the  distressing  appeals  from  the  sick 
whose  ailments  I  was  powerless  to  relieve.  In  my  vis- 
its among  friends  in  North  Carolina  I  met  a  young 
medical  graduate,  Dr.  M.  A.  Cheek,  who  received  from 
warm  friends  of  the  mission  flattering  recommenda- 
tions for  the  place.  He  himself  was  pleased  with  the 
opening,  and  would  willingly  accept  it,  if  he  could  first 
take  a  graduate  course  in  surgery.  This  was  easily 
arranged,  and  he  was  ready  to  return  with  us  the  fol- 
lowing summer. 

The  hardest  thing  to  face  was  the  parting  with  our 
children.  But  the  bitterness  of  this  pang  was  soft- 
ened by  the  kindness  of  friends  which  opened  the  best 
of  Christian  homes  and  schools  to  receive  them.  We 
can  never  sufficiently  express  our  gratitude  for  the 
kindness  shown  us  in  this  matter  by  the  late  Mrs.  E, 


THE  FIRST  FURLOUGH  1G7 

N.  Grant  and  Miss  Mitchell  of  the  Statesville  Female 
College,  and  to  Mrs.  McNeill,  the  widow  of  my  old 
pastor. 

These  two  great  questions  settled,  we  left  North 
Carolina  in  March,  1874 — my  wife  with  the  two 
younger  children,  to  visit  friends  and  relatives  in  the 
North ;  and  I,  as  I  hoped,  to  visit  the  churches  and  the 
seminaries  in  search  of  recruits.  But  a  cold  con- 
tracted on  the  trip  north  ran  into  a  dangerous  attack 
of  pleuropneumonia,  followed  by  a  slow  recovery.  Thus 
I  missed  my  visits  to  the  seminaries  and  the  meeting 
of  the  General  Assembly  in  St.  Louis. 

The  return  to  the  field  was  by  way  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  we  reached  Bangkok  on  August  27th,  1874. 
On  November  14th  a  son  was  given  us  to  take  the 
place  o4  the  children  left  behind.  In  December  be- 
gan our  river  journey  to  Chiengmai.  The  river  was 
low,  and  we  were  a  month  and  a  day  from  Bangkok 
to  Raheng.  There  we  found  four  missionaries  of  the 
Nova  Scotia  Baptist  Board  seeking  to  establish  a  sta- 
tion among  the  Karens  of  Siam,  But  they  found  their 
villages  too  small  and  too  widely  scattered  to  justify 
the  establishment  of  a  station.  So  they  were  return- 
ing to  Burma.  On  Saturday  night  we  all  dined  to- 
gether, and  had  a  sociable  hour.  On  Sunday  evening 
we  drew  up  our  boats  side  by  side,  and  had  a  prayer- 
meeting  that  we  shall  long  remember.  There  was 
something  delightful  in  thus  meeting  and  enjoying 
Christian  fellowship  on  a  sand-bar,  and  then  passing 
on  to  our  respective  fields  of  work.  Some  of  these 
men  afterwards  went  to  India,  and  started  the  Telegu 
mission,  which  has  had  phenomenal  success. 

There  were  still  the  rapids  and  four  more  weeks 
of  travel  before  we  could  reach  our  Lao  home.    But 


168    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

the  home-coming  at  last  was  delightful.  Our  faithful 
old  coolie,  Lung  In,  with  his  wife,  met  us  in  a  small 
boat  three  days'  journey  below  Chiengmai,  with  fruit 
and  fowls  lest  we  should  be  in  want.  Then  the  tall 
figure  of  Nan  Inta,  with  his  face  like  a  benediction ! 

It  was  February  7th,  1875,  when  at  last  we  drew 
up  alongside  our  own  landing-place,  and  felt  the  warm 
handshake  of  old  friends.  Among  the  Lao  at  last! — 
and  no  place  that  we  had  seen  would  we  exchange 
for  our  Lao  home.  For  the  first  time  since  our  ar- 
rival in  1867  we  had  a  permanent  house  to  enter ! 


XV 
MUANG  KEN  AND  CHIENG  DAO 

DR.  CHEEK'S  arrival  was  a  matter  of  great  re- 
joicing. He  was  very  young — only  twenty- 
one,  in  fact,  on  the  day  he  sailed  from  San 
Francisco.  The  trying  drudgery  that  he  and  others 
of  our  early  medical  missionaries  had  to  endure,  is  now 
in  great  measure  obviated  through  the  help  of  native 
assistants.  The  remainder  of  the  year  1875  I  de- 
voted very  largely  to  assisting  in  the  medical  work,  in- 
terpreting, helping  in  operations,  and  caring  for  the 
souls  of  the  numerous  patients,  without  feeling  the 
weight  of  responsibility  for  their  physical  condition, 
as  I  had  done  before.  Dr.  Cheek  came  out  a  single 
man;  but,  like  others  before  him,  he  lost  his  heart  on 
the  way.  Toward  the  end  of  that  year  he  went  down 
to  Bangkok,  and  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  A.  Brad- 
ley. He  returned  to  Chiengmai  just  as  Mr.  Wilson  was 
ready  to  start  for  the  United  States  on  his  second 
furlough.  The  April  communion  was  postponed  a 
week  that  the  newly-arrived  and  the  departing  mission- 
aries might  commune  together  before  separating.  It 
was  Mrs.  Wilson's  last  communion  with  us. 

In  May,  187G,  Nan  Inta  was  ordained  our  first  ruling 
elder.  The  story  has  often  been  told  that  before  his 
ordination  the  Confession  of  Faith  was  given  him  to 
read  carefully,  since  he  would  be  asked  whether  he 
subscribed  to  its  doctrines.     When  he  had  finished  the 


170    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

reading,  he  remarked  that  he  saw  nothing  peculiar  in 
its  teachings.  It  was  very  much  like  what  he  had  read 
in  Paul's  Epistles !  In  January  Pa  Kamun,  the  widow 
of  Noi  Sunya,  was  baptized.  It  was  thus  appropri- 
ately given  to  her  to  be  the  first  woman  received  into 
the  communion  of  the  church.  Two  of  her  daughters, 
and  Pa  Peng,  the  wife  of  Nan  Inta,  soon  followed. 
Lung  In  was  elected  the  first  deacon,  but  was  too  mod- 
est to  be  ordained  to  that  ofiice.  Meanwhile  he  was 
becoming  a  most  useful  assistant  in  the  hospital. 
Strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  office  of  hospital  nurse  is 
one  of  the  most  difificult  to  get  a  Lao  to  fill.  Lung 
In,  however,  was  not  above  the  most  menial  service  for 
the  sick.  His  real  successor  was  not  found  until  the 
present  incumbent.  Dr.  K6o,  was  trained.  Dr.  Mc- 
Kean's  testimony  is  that  it  would  be  scarcely  more 
difficult  to  procure  a  good  surgeon  than  to  fill  Keo's 
place  as  nurse  and  assistant  among  the  hospital  pa- 
tients. 

During  the  summer  of  187G,  in  company  with  Nan 
Inta,  I  made  a  tour  among  the  four  nearest  provinces 
to  the  north  and  west.  The  governor  of  Huang  Ken 
had  long  given  promise  of  becoming  a  Christian,  and 
now  invited  me  to  visit  his  people.  On  his  frequent 
visits  to  Chiengmai  on  business,  he  always  called  on 
me,  and  no  subject  was  so  interesting  to  him  as  the 
subject  of  religion.  Before  the  proclamation  of  tol- 
eration, while  the  common  people  were  still  afraid  of 
making  a  public  profession  of  Christianity,  our  most 
effective  work  was  probably  that  with  the  higher  class 
of  officials,  who  stood  in  somewhat  less  fear  of  the 
known  antagonism  of  the  Chao  Uparat.  They  were, 
besides,  a  more  interesting  class  than  the  common 
people,  for  they  were  better  educated,  were  more  ac- 


MUANG  KEN  AND  CHIENG  DAO  171 

customed  in  their  daily  duties  to  weigh  arguments  and 
decide  on  questions  of  evidence,  and  many  of  them  had 
been  trained  in  the  religious  order. 

This  governor  of  Mtiang  Ken  had  learned  enough  of 
the  tenets  of  Christianity  to  become  unsettled  and  dis- 
satisfied with  the  prospects  of  salvation  offered  by  a 
purely  ethical  religion.  He  saw  the  weakness  of  the 
foundation  on  which  he  had  been  taught  to  rely,  and 
the  difference  between  the  authors  of  the  two  religions. 
So  he  stood  on  the  border  land  between  the  two,  at 
the  very  gate,  wishing  to  enter  in,  but  with  many  ob- 
stacles in  his  way,  and  strong  opposing  influences  to 
overcome. 

My  first  objective,  then,  on  this  tour  was  Mfiang  K^n. 
The  governor  had  asked  me  to  come  and  smooth  the 
way  for  him  by  teaching  his  under-ofBcials  and  his 
townsmen.  Nan  Inta  was  the  living,  concrete  argu- 
ment, and  he  put  his  whole  heart  into  it.  We  had  a 
few  days  of  deeply  interesting  work.  Few,  however, 
saw  the  matter  as  the  governor  did.  Most  of  them 
"  would  consider  it."  Some  would  go  further  and  say 
that  they  worshipped  Jesus  under  the  name  of  their 
promised  Buddha  Metraya,  yet  to  come. 

From  Miiang  Ken  we  went  to  Chieng  Dao,  where 
we  visited  the  great  cave  with  its  famous  Buddhist 
shrine.  Ever  since  Nan  Inta  became  a  Christian,  he 
had  been  anxious  to  test  the  truth  of  some  of  the 
legends  connected  with  the  place — a  thing  he  dared 
not  do  before.  The  cave  is  the  abode  of  the  great 
Lawa  spirit,  for  fear  of  offending  whom  Prince 
Kawilorot  was  afraid  to  allow  us  to  build  to  the  north 
of  the  city  bridge  in  Chiengmai.  Chieng  Dao  moun- 
tain, which  rises  above  the  cave,  is  seven  thousand 
one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  high — one  of  the  highest 


172    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

peaks  in  all  Slam,  and  visible  from  Cliiengmai,  some 
thirty-seven  miles  away.  One  of  the  sources  of  the  Md 
Ping  River,  twenty  feet  wide  and  knee-deep,  flows 
bodily  out  from  the  cave.  Since  no  animal  is  allowed 
to  be  killed  in  so  sacred  a  place,  the  stream  abounds 
in  a  great  variety  of  beautiful  fish  waiting  for  the 
food  which  no  visitor  fails  to  give  them.  The  scramble 
for  it  is  as  interesting  to  watch  as  the  performance  of 
the  sea-lions  at  San  Francisco. 

The  legend  is  that  no  one  can  cross  the  stream  in- 
side the  cave  and  return  alive;  and  that  beyond  the 
stream,  under  the  crest  of  the  mountain,  there  is  an 
image  of  pure  gold  seven  cubits  high.  One  enters  the 
cave  at  a  little  distance  from  the  stream,  and  finds 
first  a  grand  chamber  which  is  a  veritable  temple,  with 
arched  dome,  natural  pulpit,  and  innumerable  images 
of  Buddha,  large  and  small.  This  place  is  regarded 
as  a  most  sacred  shrine.  Buddhist  monks  are  always 
there  performing  their  devotions.  The  chamber  is  so 
dark  that  they  have  to  use  tapers  to  see  to  read.  The 
dim  light  and  the  long-drawn  tones  of  the  worshippers 
produce  a  very  weird  impression. 

From  the  temple-chamber  narrow  passages  lead  off 
in  different  directions,  till  there  is  danger  of  losing 
one's  way  in  the  labyrinth.  I  followed  Nan  Inta  and 
his  sons  to  the  stream,  which  is  reached  at  some 
distance  farther  on.  Being  neither  tall  nor  a  swim- 
mer, I  stopped  and  sauntered  about  in  the  various 
rooms,  waiting  for  my  companions  to  verify  or  to  dis- 
prove the  legend.  Needless  to  say,  both  parts  of  it 
were  proved  myths.  My  companions  did  return  alive, 
and  no  golden  image  was  found.  The  cave  is  too 
damp  to  make  it  safe  for  one  to  remain  long  in  those 
distant  passages.     Farther  on  the  tapers  burned  but 


MUANG  KEN  AND  CHIENG  DAO  173 

very  dimly ;  and  one  would  not  choose  to  be  left  there 
in  pitch  darkness.  We  could  understand  very  well 
how  the  legend  arose  of  Yaks  that  devour  those  that 
intrude  into  their  dark  caverns.  There  is  no  doubt 
of  the  presence  of  a  deadly  gas  much  more  to  be 
feared  than  the  spirit  of  the  great  Lawa  king,  which 
is  believed  to  have  taken  up  his  abode  there.  We  all 
experienced  more  or  less  of  the  symptoms  premoni- 
tory of  malarial  attack,  and  before  we  got  back  to  the 
town  Nan  Inta  was  shaking  with  a  genuine  chill.  A 
heroic  dose,  however,  of  Warburg's  tincture  with 
quinine  soon  set  him  to  rights.  In  this  case,  then,  as 
in  many  others,  there  is  a  foundation  of  truth  at  the 
bottom  of  the  legend. 

That  night  we  had  a  great  audience.  It  was  gen- 
erally known  that  we  intended  to  explore  the  cave,  and 
many,  no  doubt,  came  to  see  how  we  had  fared.  It 
was  well  that  Nan  Inta  had  so  far  recovered  from  his 
morning's  chill  as  to  be  ready  to  join  in  bearing  testi- 
mony not  only  to  the  falsity  of  the  legend,  but  also 
to  the  truth  of  the  Gospel.  It  was  a  bright  moonlight 
night,  and  the  people  listened  till  very  late,  while  we 
sang  hymns,  preached  the  Gospel,  and  pointed  them 
to  the  better  way.  The  result  was  seen  years  after 
in  the  founding  of  a  church  there. 

All  these  provinces  that  we  were  now  visiting,  and 
others  more  distant  still,  were  originally  settled  by 
refugees  driven  from  the  more  southern  districts  by  the 
persecution  for  witchcraft.  Now  they  are  important 
provinces.  Since  these  people  had  been  ruthlessly 
driven  forth  because  of  the  spirits,  I  thought  they 
would  willingly  accept  any  way  of  escape  from  their 
control.  But  they  seemed,  if  anything,  more  super- 
stitious and  harder  to  reach  than  others.     Having  suf- 


174    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

fered  once,  as  thej  supposed,  from  the  malicious  power 
of  the  spirits,  they  seemed  even  more  than  others 
to  dread  to  incur  their  anger  again  by  deserting  them. 
But  there  were  many  hopeful  exceptions. 

Mfiang  Pao  was  the  next  city  visited.  From  the  in- 
cidents of  our  stay  there  I  select  the  cases  of  two 
persons  who  excited  our  deepest  sympathy.  One  was 
an  aged  Buddhist  monk,  a  Ngio,  who,  with  a  younger 
companion,  visited  our  tent  daily.  The  monk  was 
a  venerable  man,  with  striking  features,  serene  coun- 
tenance, earnest  and  intelligent.  His  long  life  had 
been  spent  in  worship,  meditation,  and  study.  All 
this  he  soon  told  us  with  some  quite  natural  pride. 
While  not  bold,  he  was  not  reticent,  freely  stating  his 
own  doctrines,  hopes,  and  fears,  and  asking  ours.  To 
the  question  what  were  his  hopes  for  a  future  life,  he 
frankly  said,  "  I  don't  know.  How  can  I  ?  I  have 
tried  to  keep  the  commandments,  have  performed  my 
devotions,  have  counted  my  beads.  But  whether  I 
shall  go  up  or  down  [indicating  the  directions  with  his 
finger]  I  do  not  know.  I  have  done  what  my  books 
tell  me,  but  I  have  no  light  here  [pointing  to  his  heart]. 
Can  the  teacher's  religion  give  me  any  light?" 

The  earnestness  and  the  despondency  of  the  man 
drew  me  to  him.  I  asked,  what  of  his  failures  and 
transgressions?  "That,"  he  said,  "is  the  dark  point. 
My  books  say  that  all  my  good  deeds  shall  be  re- 
warded, but  the  failures  and  transgressions  must  be 
punished  before  I  can  reach  Nirvana,  the  final 
emancipation  of  the  soul  by  the  extinction  of  all  de- 
sire." "How  long  will  that  be?"  we  ask.  He  an- 
swered by  giving  a  number  that  would  baffle  even 
astronomers,  who  are  accustomed  to  deal  in  almost 
fabulous  numbers. 


MUANG  KEN  AND  CHIENG  DAO  175 

"But  is  not  that  virtually  endless?" 
"Yes;  but  what  shall  we  do?    That  is  what  our 
books  say." 
"But  is  there  no  room  for  pardon?" 
"  No.     Buddha  only  points  out  the  way  that  he  fol- 
lowed himself.     He  reached  the  goal  by  the  same  al- 
most endless  journey.     How  shall  we  hope  to  do  so 
by  any  shorter  or  different  route  ?  " 

"  But  supposing  there  is  a  way— that  there  is  a  great 
sovereign  of  the  universe,  before  all  Buddhas  and 
higher  than  all  Buddhas,  who  has  the  right  and  the 
authority  to  grant  full  pardon  through  his  own  in- 
finite merit,  and  his  vicarious  assumption  of  all  our 
obligations  and  payment  of  all  our  debts.  Would  not 
that  be  a  joyful  message?" 
"  Yes ;  if  true,  it  would  be." 

And  so  we  argued  till  light  seemed  to  gleam  for  once 
into  his  mind.  But  the  image  of  the  dear  old  man 
pointing  up  and  then  down  with  the  sad  confession,  "  I 
know  not  whither  I  shall  go,"  is  a  vision  that  has  sad- 
dened me  many  a  time  since. 

The  other  case  of  special  interest  I  state  as  it  oc- 
curred, with  no  attempt  at  explanation  of  the  dream 
involved  in  the  story.— On  the  morning  after  our  ar- 
rival. Nan  Inta  and  I  started  out  to  visit  monasteries  or 
houses,  wherever  we  might  find  listeners.  I  was 
dressed  in  white  clothes,  and  Nan  Inta  had  on  a  white 
jacket.  We  had  made  a  number  of  calls,  and  were 
about  to  pass  by  a  house  in  which  we  saw  only  an 
elderly  woman  and  some  children,  presumably  her 
grandchildren.  We  were  surprised  to  see  her  come 
down  from  her  house  and  run  out  a^ter  us,  and 
prostrating  herself  with  the  customary  salutation'given 
to  priests  and  princes,  she  begged  us  to  stop  and  come 


17G    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

in.  We  accepted  her  invitation,  though  surprised  at 
her  evident  demonstrations  of  joy.  Sitting  down  on 
the  mat,  we  began  to  explain  that  we  were  teachers 
of  religion,  pointing  out  the  sure  way  of  happiness 
both  in  this  life  and  in  the  life  to  come.  Our  mes- 
sage was  one  from  the  great  God  and  Creator  to  all 
races  and  nations,  inviting  them  to  return  from  all 
other  refuges,  and  He  would  give  them  an  inheritance 
as  His  children  in  the  life  to  come.  She  listened  with 
marked  interest  as  we  explained  to  her  our  religion, 
and  urged  her  to  accept  it.  We  were  surprised  at  the 
explanation  she  gave  of  her  intense  interest. 

Not  long  before  our  arrival  she  had  a  dream  that 
two  men  dressed  in  white  came  to  her  to  teach  her. 
What  they  were  to  teach  her  she  did  not  know;  but 
when  she  saw  us  walking  up  the  street  she  said,  "  There 
is  the  fulfilment  of  my  dream !  "  She  had  watched  us 
as  we  entered  other  houses,  fearful  lest  we  should  omit 
hers.  Now  she  was  so  glad  we  had  come.  It  was  at 
least  a  strange  coincidence,  for  she  affirmed  that  the 
dream  was  before  she  had  ever  heard  of  us.  Whatever 
may  have  been  the  cause,  it  was  a  delight  to  instruct 
one  who  seemed  to  receive  all  that  we  said  as  a  direct 
message  to  her.  This  at  once  attracted  Nan  Inta  to 
her,  and  she  listened  to  him  with  frequent  exclama- 
tions of  delight,  while  he,  in  his  earnest  manner,  ex- 
plained the  Gospel  message  of  pardon  and  life  eternal 
through  Him  who  liveth  and  was  dead,  and  behold  He 
is  alive  for  evermore.  She  said  her  one  great  desire 
had  been  to  escape  from  the  punishment  of  her  sins; 
but  she  never  before  had  known  that  there  was  any 
other  way  but  to  suffer  for  them  herself.  She,  too, 
was  a  Ngio.  We  visited  her  frequently  during  the 
week  of  our  stay  in  Mfiang  Pao,  and  to  the  last  she 


MUANG  KEN  AND  CHIENG  DAG  177 

interpreted  our  coming  as  the  fulfilment  of  her  dream. 
This  was  the  last  that  we  knew  either  of  her  or  of  the 
aged  monk.  Before  we  visited  the  place  again  she  was 
dead,  and  he  had  moved  away. 

In  those  days  when  the  people  were  afraid  to  make 
a  public  profession  of  Christianity,  it  would  have  been 
a  great  gain  to  the  mission  if  we  could  have  had 
schools,  and  used  them  as  a  means  of  evangelizing  the 
youth.  A  first  attempt,  indeed,  had  been  made  by  Mr. 
Wilson  with  a  few  Burmese  boys.  A  young  Burmese 
who  had  been  trained  in  Maulmein,  and  who  spoke 
English,  was  employed  to  teach  them  under  Mr.  Wil- 
son's oversight,  in  the  hope  that  Lao  boys  would  pres- 
ently join  them.  This  hope  was  not  realized,  and  the 
experiment  was  presently  abandoned. 

The  first  call  for  a  Christian  school  was  for  the 
education  of  girls.  In  the  first  Christian  families  girls 
predominated.  Mrs.  McGilvary  collected  six  or  eight 
Christian  girls,  and  devoted  as  much  time  to  them 
as  her  strength  and  her  family  duties  would  permit. 
They  were  really  private  pupils,  living  on  our  premises 
and  in  our  family.  More  wished  to  come  than  she 
could  do  justice  to.  Hence  about  this  time  an  appeal 
was  made  for  two  single  ladies  to  devote  their  whole 
time  to  the  school.  But  it  was  not  till  four  years 
later  that  Miss  Edna  E.  Cole  and  Miss  Mary  Camp- 
bell of  the  Oxford  Female  Seminary,  Ohio,  reached 
Chiengmai.  Very  soon  they  had  twenty  pupils.  From 
this  small  beginning  has  grown  our  large  Girls'  School. 
Two  of  Mrs.  McGilvary's  pupils  were  soon  made  as- 
sistants. These  and  others  of  the  first  group  became 
fine  women,  who  have  left  their  mark  on  the  church 
and  the  country. 

Notwithstanding  our  disappointment  in  the  delay 


178    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

of  the  school  for  boys,  it  proved  a  wise  arrangement 
that  the  Girls'  School  was  started  first.  A  mission 
church  is  sure  to  be  greatly  handicapped  whose  young 
I  men  must  either  remain  single — which  they  will  not  do 
\  — or  be  compelled  to  take  ignorant  non-Christian  wives. 
Such  are  a  dead-weight  to  the  husband,  and  the  chil- 
dren almost  surely  follow  the  mother.  After  mar- 
riage, the  almost  universal  custom  of  the  country  has 
been  that  the  husband  lives  with  the  wife's  family. 
He  becomes  identified  with  it,  and  for  the  time  a  sub- 
ordinate member  of  it,  almost  to  the  extent  of  becom- 
ing weaned  from  his  own  family.  Where  all  the  at- 
mosphere of  the  family  is  strongly  Buddhist,  with 
daily  offerings  to  the  spirits  and  gala  days  at  the  tem- 
ple, the  current  would  be  too  strong  for  a  father,  with 
his  secondary  place  in  the  family,  to  withstand.  For  a 
while  it  was  feared  that  Christian  girls  would  have 
diflSculty  in  finding  husbands.  But,  on  the  contrary, 
our  educated  girls  become  not  only  more  intelligent, 
but  more  attractive  in  manners,  dress,  and  character; 
and,  therefore,  have  been  much  sought  after.  The 
homes  become  Christian  homes,  and  the  children  are 
reared  in  a  Christian  atmosphere.  The  result  is  that, 
instead  of  the  wife's  dragging  the  husband  down,  she 
generally  raises  the  husband  up;  and,  as  a  general 
rule,  the  children  early  become  Christians. 

In  August,  1876,  our  beloved  Princess  became  very 
seriously  ill.  Dr.  Cheek  had  been  called  upon  to 
treat  domestics  in  the  family,  but  not  the  Prince  or 
Princess.  Hearing  that  she  was  in  a  critical  condi- 
tion under  native  doctors,  and  fearing  the  worst,  I 
took  the  liberty  of  suggesting  that  they  consult  Dr. 
Cheek.  They  seemed  pleased  with  the  suggestion,  and 
asked  me  to  accompany  him — which  I  did  for  one  or 


MUANG  KEN  AND  CHIENG  DAO  179 

two  visits.  His  treatment  was  very  successful,  and 
soon  she  was  convalescent. 

About  this  same  time  we  had  an  adventure  with 
white  ants  which  came  near  costing  us  our  much- 
valued  cabinet  organ.  It  will  serve  to  illustrate  an 
experience  formerly  common  enough,  and  still  not  un- 
known. One  Wednesday  evening  before  prayer-meet- 
ing Mrs.  McGilvary  sat  down  at  the  instrument  to  look 
over  the  tunes,  when  she  found  it  full  of  white  ants. 
Our  house  was  built  on  higher  ground,  into  which  the 
creatures  are  driven  when  the  lower  grounds  are  filled 
with  water  from  the  annual  floods.  They  do  not  at- 
tack the  teak  walls  and  floors  of  our  houses,  but, 
climbing  up  the  posts,  at  last  they  stumbled  upon  the 
soft  wood  and  leather  inside  the  organ,  and  were  just 
beginning  their  feast  when  our  meeting  broke  in  upon 
them.  Had  we  not  discovered  them  then,  the  instru- 
ment would  have  been  completely  wrecked  before 
morning. 

Once  the  white  ants  destroyed  a  trunkful  of  our 
children's  clothes,  once  a  box  of  "  knock-down  "  chairs, 
and  once  they  attacked  my  library — evidently  not  at 
all  deterred  by  the  learned  discussions  and  deep 
thought  of  Dr.  Joseph  A.  Alexander's  Commentary  on 
Isaiah.  They  had  got  through  the  margin,  and  would 
soon  have  digested  the  rest,  had  not  an  unexpected 
occasion  for  opening  the  library  saved  it. 


XVI 
SEEKERS  AFTER  GOD 

ON  New  Year's  Day,  1877,  I  went  into  the  city  to 
make  some  calls.  The  first  was  at  the  new 
palace.  In  the  large  reception  hall  I  found 
the  Princess,  virtually  alone.  She  was  embroidering 
some  fancy  pillow-ends  for  the  priests — a  work  in 
which  she  was  an  expert.  Her  maidens,  some  distance 
off,  were  sewing  priests'  robes.  The  Prince  was  in  his 
little  workshop  not  far  off,  turning  ivory  rounds  for 
the  railing  of  an  elephant  howdah,  a  favourite  amuse- 
ment with  him. 

The  subject  of  religion  was  one  that  continually  came 
up  in  all  my  interviews  with  the  Princess ;  but  hitherto 
she  had  apparently  argued  more  for  victory  than  from 
a  desire  to  reach  the  truth.  She  was  as  keen  as  a 
lawyer  to  seize  a  point,  and  her  quick  wit  made  her  a 
very  enjoyable  antagonist.  Not  only  she  and  her 
domestics,  but  the  whole  country  as  well,  had  been 
preparing  for  a  great  occasion  of  merit-making  in  con- 
nection with  the  approaching  dedication  of  a  shrine. 
Whether  the  peculiar  interest  of  this  conversation  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  these  matters  had  been  running 
in  her  mind,  or  to  some  particular  mood  in  which  I 
found  her,  I  never  knew.  Most  likely  it  was  both.  A 
chance  allusion  to  the  great  event  which  was  in  every 
one's  mouth,  at  once  brought  up  the  question.  Stop- 
ping her  work  and  resting  her  arms  on  the  embroidery 
180 


SEEKERS  AFTER  GOD  181 

frame,  she  asked,  ''Why  is  it  that  foreigners  do  not 
worship  the  Buddha  or  his  images,  and  do  not  believe 
that  merit  is  made  thereby?" 

She  seemed  to  approach  the  question  as  a  personal 
one  for  herself.  If  we  were  right  and  she  were  wrong, 
she  would  like  to  know  it.  We  agreed  on  that  point, 
and  1  encouraged  her  in  her  estimate  of  its  paramount 
importance  to  every  rational  man  or  woman.  If 
Buddhism  does,  indeed,  lead  to  happiness  in  a  future 
life,  she  was  wise  in  diligently  following  its  precepts ; 
but  if  wrong,  it  would  be  a  fatal  mistake.  Why  do  we 
not  worship  Buddha?  Because  he  was  only  a  man. 
We  reverence  his  character,  as  we  do  that  of  other 
upright  men  who  have  tried  to  do  good  and  to  lead 
their  fellow-men  to  better  things.  Gautama  Buddha 
seems  to  have  sought  with  all  his  soul  for  light— was 
willing  to  forsake  a  kingdom  and  to  renounce  all 
sensual  and  even  intellectual  pleasures  in  this  life  for 
the  hope  of  escaping  sin  and  its  consequences  in  the 
next. 

Why  do  we  worship  Jehovah- Jesus?  Because  He  is 
our  sovereign  Lord.  The  Buddha  groaned  under  his 
own  load  of  guilt,  and  was  oppressed  by  the  sad  and 
universal  consequences  of  sin  among  men.  The  Christ 
challenged  His  enemies  to  convince  Him  of  sin,  and  His 
enemies  to  this  day  have  confessed  that  they  find  no 
sin  in  Him.  Buddhists  believe  that  Buddha  reached 
Nirvana  after  having  himself  passed  through  every 
form  of  being  in  the  universe — having  been  in  turn 
every  animal  in  the  seas,  on  the  earth,  and  in  the  air. 
He  did  this  by  an  inexorable  law  that  he  and  every 
other  being  is  subject  to,  and  cannot  evade.  Our  Je- 
hovah-Jesus, as  our  Scriptures  teach,  is  the  only  self- 
existent  being  in  the  universe,  and  Himself  the  cause 


182    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

of  all  other  beings.  An  infinite  Spirit  and  invisible,  He 
manifested  Himself  to  the  world  by  descending  from 
heaven,  becoming  man,  taking  on  our  nature  in  uni- 
son with  His  own  holy  nature,  but  with  no  taint  of  sin. 
He  did  this  out  of  infinite  love  and  pity  for  our  race 
after  it  had  sinned.  He  saw  there  was  no  other  able 
to  save,  and  He  became  our  Saviour. 

And  take  the  teachings  of  the  two  systems — which 
is  the  more  credible?  The  sacred  books  of  the  Princess 
teach  that  there  is  no  Creator.  Everything,  as  the 
Siamese  say,  "  pen  eng  " — comes  to  be  of  itself.  All 
this  complicated  universe  became  what  it  is  by  a  for- 
tuitous concurrence  of  atoms,  which  atoms  themselves 
had  no  creator.  We  come  as  honest  seekers  for  truth. 
We  look  around,  above,  beneath.  Everything  seems  to 
imply  the  contrivance  of  mind.  The  sun  rises  and  sets 
with  greater  regularity  than  our  clocks  strike  the  hour 
of  noon.  The  seasons  follow  each  other  with  wonderful 
uniformity.  Animals  are  born  and  die,  plants  and 
trees  grow  and  decay,  each  after  its  kind,  and  in  won- 
derful adjustment  to  the  conditions  about  them.  The 
eye  is  made  for  seeing,  the  ear  for  hearing,  and  the 
air  for  breathing.  Light  is  necessary  for  work  by  day, 
and  darkness  for  sleep  by  night.  This  city  has  its  walls 
and  gates ;  this  palace  has  its  beams,  its  roof,  its  doors 
and  windows,  and  its  difl'erent  apartments,  because  it 
was  so  planned.  The  Princess  gives  her  orders,  and 
her  servants  in  distant  villages  come  at  her  summons. 
The  Prince's  command  is  obeyed  throughout  all  his 
dominions.  Subjects  obey  because  they  are  under  con- 
stituted authority.     Even  so  we  obey  Jehovah  and  not 

I  Buddha,  because  we  believe  that  He  is  the  Creator  and 

'  the  sovereign  Lord  of  the  universe. 

In  His  word — His  letter  to  our  race — He   claims 


SEEKERS  AFTER  GOD  183 

to  be  Creator  and  Lord.  We  read  His  word,  and 
then  we  look  around  for  evidence  as  to  whether  this  is 
really  so.  We  find  that  evidence  in  earth  and  sea 
and  sky.  A  letter  comes  from  the  King  of  Siam.  How 
do  we  know  that  it  is  really  his?  It  has  his  seal. 
Not  otherwise  "  the  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God, 
and  the  firmament  showeth  His  handiwork."  By  faith, 
then,  we  believe  that  the  worlds  were  made,  as  His  word 
tells  us.  We  read  the  account  of  that  creation.  What 
wonderful  beings  we  are ! — made  in  His  image,  endowed 
in  our  degrees  with  His  own  attributes,  and  with 
authority  over  the  world  in  which  He  has  placed  us. 
He  has  given  us  dominion  over  all  the  beasts  of  the 
earth,  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  the  fish  of  the  sea. 
Every  time  that  a  Buddhist  kills  a  fish  or  a  fowl,  he 
sins,  because  he  breaks  a  command  of  his  religion. 
Why  not  so  for  a  Christian?  Because  these  creatures 
were  made  for  man's  use,  and  were  given  to  him.  We 
partake  with  gratitude  of  the  gifts  our  Father  has  pro- 
vided for  us.  This  one  great  truth,  when  received  by 
Christians,  relieves  the  conscience  of  one  of  the  great- 
est burdens  that  the  followers  of  Buddha  must  bear. 
But  if  God  made  man  in  His  image,  why  all  this 
suffering  that  we  see  and  feel?  The  best  explanation 
ever  given  is  that  given  in  the  Bible.  Man  was  created 
holy,  and  was  put  on  trial.  He  transgressed.  A  sub- 
ject who  disobeys  the  law  of  his  sovereign  incurs  his 
displeasure.  He  suffers  for  it.  We  are  suffering  from 
this  disobedience  of  our  first  parents  by  a  law  that  we 
daily  see  exemplified.  A  man  by  extravagance  or  vice 
squanders  his  estate.  His  children  are  born  penniless. 
The  Prince  of  Wieng  Chan  rebelled  against  the  King 
of  Siam.  His  country  was  conquered  and  laid  waste, 
and  thousands  of  its  inhabitants  were  made  captive 


184    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

and  deported.  Thousands  of  the  descendants  of  these 
captives  are  now  serfs.  Why  are  they  so?  Because 
of  the  errors  or  misfortunes  of  their  ancestors.  The 
Prince  appoints  a  governor  over  a  province,  with  the 
promise  that  if  he  is  faithful,  his  children  shall  suc- 
ceed him.  Because  of  misdemeanor  he  is  deposed. 
His  descendants  are  born  subjects  and  not  rulers.  We 
belong  to  a  fallen  race. 

Somana  Gautama  belonged  to  the  same  race.  He 
groaned  under  its  pains  and  penalties.  He  saw  a  race 
sunk  in  misery.  He  saw  its  religion  shamefully  cor- 
rupt. He  inaugurated  one  of  purer  morality.  But  he 
does  not  profess  to  be  divine  or  a  saviour.  His  religion 
does  not  offer  a  sufiScient  remedy.  By  asceticism  and 
self-mortification  it  would  extinguish  all  noble  desire  as 
well  as  the  vicious  instincts  with  which  we  are  born. 
And  then,  after  interminable  cycles  of  transmigrations, 
we  may  hope  to  reach  a  state  of  unconscious  sleep. 
Happiness  and  misery  are  inseparable  things.  We 
escape  the  one  only  by  escaping  the  other.  That  is  the 
dark  prospect  which  makes  Buddhism  so  pessimistic. 
To  this  the  Princess  assented,  "  That  is  so." 

Now  compare  this  with  the  religion  of  Jesus.  The 
sovereign  Father  who  loves  His  wandering,  sinful  chil- 
dren, in  His  infinite  wisdom  devised  a  plan  that  satis- 
fies their  needs  and  desires,  "  God  so  loved  the  world 
that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever 
believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting 
life."  Our  Maker  became  our  Redeemer  by  emptying 
Himself  of  His  glory  and  becoming  man.  He  is  Himself 
the  greatest  possible  illustration  of  the  love  of  God  to 
the  race.  He  came  to  reveal  the  Father.  His  holy  life 
we  have  in  His  word.  He  set  us  the  only  perfect  ex- 
ample, full  of  pity  toward  the  miserable  and  the  sinful. 


SEEKERS  AFTER  GOD  185 

Then,  by  a  painful  and  shameful  death,  He  became 
Himself  a  sacrifice  for  the  sins   of  the  world.     He 
obeyed  the  law  which  we  had  broken,  and  which  con- 
demns us;  and  suffered  in  our  stead  the  penalty  due 
to  us.     He  conquered  death.     He  took  away  the  sting  of 
death  by  taking  away  sin.     He  arose  from  the  dead 
showing   Himself   for   many   days.     He   ascended    to 
heaven  before  the  eyes  of  His  disciples.     He  has  sent 
His  servants  and  His  word  to  offer  a  full  and  free 
pardon  to  all  who  will  accept.     He  is  now,  and  ever 
will  be,  our  intercessor  in  heaven.     He  sends  His  Spirit 
to  purify  and  fit  us  for  an  endless  state  of  conscious 
existence  which  begins  at  death,  and  not  cycles  after. 
Millions  of  the  best  men  and  women  the  world  has 
ever  seen  have  given  their  testimony  to  the  reality  of 
this  salvation  by  a  triumphant  death,  with  the  assur- 
ance that  all  sin  and  all  suffering  were  past.     Jesus 
removed  the  curse,  and  brought  to  light  the  immortality 
which  we  had  forfeited  by  sin.     The  missionary  and  his 
associates  have  left  both  parents  and  children   that 
they   might   offer   this    to   the   Princess    and    to   her 
people. 

To  all  of  this  the  Princess  was  mainly  a  most  in- 
terested listener.  She  had  asked  to  be  taught.  She 
put  no  captious  questions.  I  have  omitted  an  occa- 
sional assent  that  she  gave,  and  an  occasional  difficulty 
or  doubt— not  all  of  which  could  be  fully  answered ;  as, 
for  example,  why  an  all-powerful  God  allowed  the  en- 
trance of  sin,  and  now  allows  wicked  spirits  to  tempt 
us;  or  that  other  sad  question,  why  the  Gospel  had  not 
been  sent  to  them,  so  that  they  might  have  known  this 
from  childhood— a  question  the  burden  of  which  should 
press  on  my  readers  as  well  as  on  the  missionary. 

At  last,  after  a  long  pause,  the  Princess  made  a  won- 


186    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

derful  confession,  the  very  words  of  which  I  can  never 
forget : 

"  Ta  chak  wa  dui  kwam  ching,  ka  han  wa  paw  krti 
ko  tiik  leo."  To  speak  the  truth,  I  see  that  the  father- 
teacher  is  right.  "  Ka  chtia  wa  kong  chak  mi  Pra  Chao 
ton  dai  sang  lok."  I  believe  there  surely  must  be  some 
divine  Lord  who  made  the  world.  "  Le  bat  ni  ko  chtia 
ti  paw  krii  atibai  dui  kan  pon  tot  doi  Pra  Yesu."  And 
now  I  believe  what  the  father-teacher  has  explained 
about  escape  from  punishment  through  the  Lord  Jesus. 
And  then,  sadly — almost  despairingly — she  added,  "  T^ 
chak  yia  cha  dai?"  But  what  shall  I  do? — I  fear  it 
will  not  be  well  to  forsake  "  hit  paw  hoi  me  " — the  cus- 
toms of  my  father,  the  foot-prints  of  my  mother. 

We  were  sitting  in  the  new  brick  palace — the  first 
ever  built  in  the  country.  In  the  hall  was  a  large 
pier-glass  with  numerous  other  foreign  articles,  most 
of  them  bought  in  Bangkok,  and  brought  up  for  offer- 
ings at  the  coming  dedication  of  the  shrine.  I  asked, 
"  Princess,  did  your  father  or  grandfather  have  a  brick 
palace  like  this?"  Somewhat  surprised  at  the  ques- 
tion, she  replied,  "  No."  "  And  I  see  the  Princess 
riding  down  to  the  landing  every  day  in  a  foreign  car- 
riage. Did  your  ancestors  do  that?"  Before  I  could 
make  the  application,  she  blushed,  perceiving  that  she 
was  caught.  I  went  on :  "  You  do  daily  forsake  old 
customs,  and  adopt  new  ones  which  your  ancestors 
never  knew.  The  whole  method  of  government  is 
changing.  This  foreign  cloth,  which  your  maidens  are 
sewing  for  priests'  robes,  was  all  unknown  to  your 
forefathers.  These  things  all  come  from  lands  where 
the  people  worship  neither  the  Buddha  nor  the  spirits. 
These  are  only  some  of  the  fruits  that  grow  on  the  tree. 
Better  still,  plant  the  tree ;  for  all  good  fruit  grows  on 


SEEKERS  AFTER  GOD  187 

it."  Just  then  our  long  conversation  was  interrupted 
by  the  entrance  of  the  Prince,  who  had  worked  till 
he  was  tired.  He  asked  what  she  and  the  teacher  were 
talking  about  so  long.  She  replied  that  we  were  dis- 
cussing "  bun  le  bap  " — merit  and  sin. 

The  question  often  came  up  after  this.  She  was  in  a 
position  where  it  was,  humanly  speaking,  almost  im- 
possible for  her  outwardly  to  forsake  the  customs  of 
the  country.  But  I  have  reason  to  know  that  on  that 
morning  she  received  truths  which  she  never  forgot. 
We  have  seen  before  that  neither  she  nor  her  husband 
approved  of  her  father's  act  in  murdering  the  Chris- 
tians. She  continued  a  warm  friend  to  the  last,  and 
so  did  the  Prince. 

On  my  way  home  that  same  forenoon  I  had  another 
interesting  talk  with  our  dear  old  friend,  the  abbot  of 
the  tjmong  monastery,  who  had  been  so  true  to  us  dur- 
ing our  troubles.  On  the  gate-posts,  as  I  entered,  were 
offerings  of  fruit,  rice,  betel,  etc.,  to  propitiate  the 
spirits.  This  is  in  flat  violation  of  one  of  the  funda- 
mental precepts  of  Buddhism,  which  declares  that  any 
one  who  makes  offerings  to  spirits  is  outside  of  the  pale, 
or,  as  we  should  say,  is  virtually  excommunicate.  Of 
course,  my  abbot  friend  exculpated  himself  from  all 
complicity  in  the  offerings.  He  himself  neither  wor- 
shipped nor  feared  the  spirits.  But  his  disciples  and 
parishioners  did,  and  he  could  not  withstand  them. 
He,  too,  never  gave  up  the  form  of  Buddhism,  but  he 
claimed  that  he  worshipped  Jesus  daily  as  the  great 
Creator  and  Benefactor  of  our  race.  His  merit  he  be- 
lieved to  be  infinitely  greater  than  that  of  Buddha, 
whom  he  knew  to  be  a  man.  The  abbot  was  a  man 
of  broad  mind,  and  a  true  and  faithful  friend.  It  is 
well  that  it  is  not  for  us  to  say  how  much  of  error 


188    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

is  consistent  with  true  discijjlesbip,  even  in  Christian 
lands.  I  know  that  his  deep-rooted  friendship  for  us 
was  because  we  were  teachers  of  a  religion  that  offered 
hopes  which  Buddhism  does  not  give.  I  have  in  mind 
many  others,  also,  who  believed  our  doctrine,  though 
they  were  never  enrolled  in  our  church ;  and  not  a  few 
that  would  urge  others  of  their  family  and  friends  to 
take,  as  Christians,  the  open  stand  which,  from  various 
causes,  they  themselves  were  prevented  from  taking. 
But  the  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  His. 

The  great  event  of  the  year  1877  was  the  dedication 
of  a  Buddhist  shrine  recently  rebuilt  on  Doi  Sutep,  the 
noble  mountain  which  is  the  pride  and  glory  of 
Chiengmai.  From  the  level  of  the  plain,  and  at  a 
distance  of  but  four  miles  westward  from  the  city,  the 
mountain  rises  in  a  single  sweep  four  thousand  five  hun- 
dred feet,  forest-crowned  to  its  very  summit,  seamed 
with  rushing  brooks,  and  embroidered  with  gleaming 
waterfalls.  In  the  rainy  season  the  play  of  cloud  and 
vapor,  of  sunshine  and  storm  about  its  mighty  mass, 
forms  an  ever-changing  picture  of  surpassing  beauty 
and  grandeur.  The  Siamese  and  the  Lao  are  very  fond 
of  an  imposing  setting  and  a  commanding  view  for 
their  temples  and  shrines — on  bold  promontories  by 
sea  or  river,  on  high  knolls  and  summits.  The  one  on 
Doi  Sutep  crowns  a  projecting  shoulder  or  bastion  of 
the  mountain,  some  half-way  up,  and  visible  from  all 
parts  of  the  Chiengmai  plain.  Each  reigning  Prince 
has  been  desirous  of  doing  something  to  beautify  and 
enrich  this  shrine.  To  rebuild  it  was,  therefore,  an 
attractive  idea  to  Prince  Intanon  at  the  beginning  of 
his  rule. 

To  do  honour  to  the  occasion,  and  to  make  merit 
thereby,  all  the  northern  states,  as  far  east  as  Luang 


AN    ABBOT    PREACHING 


SEEKERS  AFTER  GOD  189 

Prabang,  sent  their  highest  officials  with  costly  offer- 
ings; and  the  government  of  Siam  sent  a  special  rep- 
resentative. For  weeks  and  months  previously  the 
whole  country  had  been  placed  under  requisition  to 
make  preparations.  Offerings  were  levied  from  every 
town,  village,  and  monastery,  and,  I  believe,  from  every 
household.  Each  guest  of  honour  had  a  temporary 
house  built  for  him  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  with 
smaller  shelters  for  persons  of  less  rank.  Nearly  all 
the  princes  and  nobles  of  Chiengmai  joined  the  en- 
campment at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  and  thither, 
also,  was  the  city  market  removed,  so  that  our  house- 
keepers had  to  send  four  miles  to  market ! 

I  had  intended  to  pitch  a  tent  near  the  encamp- 
ment, so  as  to  be  near  the  people  for  missionary  work. 
But  a  rheumatic  attack  during  the  opening  days  of  the 
festival  prevented.  Still,  we  had  as  many  visitors  at 
home  as  we  could  attend  to,  and  under  conditions  more 
favourable  for  missionary  work. 

Such  occasions  are  very  attractive  to  the  Lao  peo- 
ple. For  the  time  being  the  prohibition  against 
gambling  is  removed,  and  they  make  the  most  of  it. 
It  may  seem  a  queer  way  of  making  merit,  but  the 
theory  is  that  their  merit  earns  them  the  right  to  a 
good  time  for  once.  Thousands  of  rupees  change 
hands  on  such  occasions.  The  mornings  are  given  to 
making  offerings,  the  afternoons  to  boxing  and  games, 
and  the  nights  to  theatricals  and  gambling.  I  was 
glad  that  I  was  prevented  from  pitching  my  tent  in 
the  midst  of  the  noise  and  revelry.  All  those  inter- 
ested in  religion  were  the  more  free  to  call  and  con- 
verse with  us  apart  from  the  princes  and  the  rabble. 
Officers  and  monks  from  a  distance  were  always  espe- 
cially welcomed,  and  few  of  them  in  those  days  re- 


190    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

turned  to  their  homes  without  calling  on  the  foreign 
teacher. 

I  did  not  get  off  on  a  long  tour  that  season,  being 
unable  to  secure  an  elephant.  It  was  better  so,  how- 
ever, for  early  in  May  Dr.  Cheek  went  to  Bangkok  to 
consult  a  physician,  and  went  on  thence  as  far  as 
Hongkong.  It  was  April  30th  of  the  next  year  before 
he  got  back  to  Chiengmai.  And  the  season  proved  to 
be  one  of  the  most  unhealthy  in  the  history  of  the 
mission.  Worst  of  all,  we  had  only  six  bottles  of 
quinine  to  begin  the  season  with.  There  was  a  rush 
for  the  quinine,  and  it  seemed  cruel  to  withhold  it  so 
long  as  any  was  left.  The  fever  was  of  a  violent 
type,  and  often  fatal.  Native  doctors  were  helpless  be- 
fore the  scourge.  On  looking  about  me  for  a  sub- 
stitute for  quinine,  I  found  that  arsenic  was  the  next 
best  remedy,  and  that  Fowler's  Solution  was  the  best 
form  for  administering  it.  But  we  had  not  a  drop  of 
the  solution.  We  had,  however,  a  bottle  of  arsenious 
acid,  and  a  United  States  Dispensatory,  so  that  I  had 
to  become  pharmacist  as  well  as  doctor.  I  had  all  the 
ingredients  save  one,  an  unessential  colouring  matter. 
So  I  made  it  up  by  the  quart.  But  it  was  not  a  medi- 
cine to  be  trusted  in  native  hands.  They  were  accus- 
tomed to  take  their  own  medicine  by  the  potful,  and 
had  the  theory  that  if  a  little  is  good,  a  great  deal 
would  be  better. 


XVII 
THE  RESIDENT  COMMISSIONER 

IN  this  same  year,  1877,  there  occurred  an  event  of 
utmost  importance  to  the  mission  and  to  the 
whole  country.  We  have  seen  that,  up  to  the 
death  of  Prince  Kawilorot,  those  Lao  provinces  which 
are  now  a  part  of  Siam  had  been  virtually  free  states. 
The  Siamese  yoke  had  been  very  easy.  They  had  never 
been  conquered  in  war.  Their  original  association 
with  Siam  had  been  a  voluntary  one,  in  order  to 
escape  the  oppressive  rule  of  Burma.  Their  location 
and  their  weakness  made  it  a  necessity  that  they  should 
look  to  one  of  these  rival  kingdoms  for  protection 
against  the  other.  At  the  same  time,  they  added  both 
dignity  and  strength  to  the  one  on  which  they  leaned 
—they  served  it  as  a  buffer  against  the  other.  Nature 
had  connected  the  Lao  country  more  intimately  with 
Siam.  All  its  communication  with  the  sea  was 
through  the  Menam  Chao  Praya  and  its  tributaries, 
while  a  range  of  lofty  mountains  separated  it  from 
Burma.  In  race  and  language  too,  they  were  Siamese, 
and  not  Burmese. 

The  relation  had  been  mutually  beneficial.  Both 
parties  recognized  the  advantages  of  the  arrangement, 
and  were  satisfied.  The  balance  of  real  advantage  had 
been  to  the  weaker  states.  Their  chiefs,  indeed,  were 
required  to  make  triennial  visits  to  the  Siamese  cap- 
ital, to  present  there  a  nominal  tribute,  and  to  renew 
their  oath  of  allegiance.  But  with  this  exception  they 
191 


192    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

were  virtually  free.  In  his  own  country  the  Prince 
had  absolute  rule.  The  Siamese  had  never  interfered 
with,  or  assumed  control  of,  the  internal  affairs  of  the 
North  Lao  states.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the 
sanction  of  the  Siamese  government  to  the  establish- 
ment of  the  mission  was  given  only  after  the  Lao 
Prince  had  given  his. 

It  was  probably  an  inevitable  result  that  the  stronger 
power  should  in  time  absorb  the  weaker.  And  the 
course  of  events  had  been  tending  that  way.  The  for- 
ests of  teak  on  the  upper  branches  of  the  Menam  were 
too  valuable  to  be  concealed  or  to  remain  profitless. 
The  world  needed  the  timber,  and  was  willing  to  pay 
for  it.  The  country  needed  its  value  in  money.  The 
Burmese  of  Maulmein,  who  were  British  subjects,  had 
skill  in  working  out  the  timber,  which  the  Lao  had 
not.  With  money  and  valuable  presents  they  tempted 
the  Lao  rulers,  who  formerly  had  absolute  authority 
over  the  forests,  to  grant  them  concessions  to  cut  the 
timber  and  market  it  in  Bangkok.  Both  parties  were 
avaricious,  and  both  were  probably  crooked.  Larger 
bribes  sometimes  induced  a  Lao  ruler  to  issue  a  sec- 
ond concession  to  work  a  forest  already  assigned  to 
an  earlier  applicant.  The  result  was  a  constant  suc- 
cession of  lawsuits  brought  by  British  subjects  against 
the  Lao.  Since  the  Lao  states  were  dependencies  of 
Siam,  the  Siamese  government  was  often  called  upon 
to  enforce  judgment  against  them;  while  the  Lao  felt 
that  the  Siamese  suzerainty  ought  to  shield  them  from 
such  attack.  Siam  was  now  come  to  be  in  fact  the 
buffer  between  the  Lao  and  the  outside  world.  In- 
stead of  the  pleasant  relations  which  had  hitherto  ex- 
isted between  the  two  peoples,  there  was  now  constant 
friction. 


THE  RESIDENT  COMMISSIONER  193 

Up  to  the  time  when  Prince  Kawilorot  gave  his  pub- 
lic and  oflScial  promise  before  the  United  States  Consul 
and  the  representative  of  the  Siamese  government,  in 
the  little  sala  at  the  landing-stage  of  Wat  Cheng  in 
Bangkok,  no  foreign  power  other  than  the  English  had 
had  any  claim  on  the  Lao  or  any  contact  with  them. 
It  was  only  the  impolitic  act  of  killing  the  Christians 
which  brought  the  Lao  Prince  into  conflict  with  the 
representative  of  the  United  States  government.  The 
fact  that  it  was  the  missionaries  who  were  immediately 
concerned  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  question.  Had 
the  agreement  been  made  with  American  citizens  in 
any  other  capacity  or  business,  the  obligation  would 
have  been  the  same.  The  Siamese  government  recog- 
nized the  obligation,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  guaranteed 
the  continuance  of  the  mission.  And  that  guarantee 
was  an  additional  reason  for  having  an  oflScial  repre- 
sentative of  Siam  resident  in  Chiengmai. 

Had  the  new  Prince  been  as  strong  as  he  was  mild 
and  good,  and  had  the  Chao  Uparat  been  like  him,  it 
is  possible  that  the  old  feudal  relation  might  have  con- 
tinued another  generation  or  two.  No  doubt  the 
Siamese  government  thoroughly  trusted  the  loyalty 
of  the  new  Prince;  but  it  did  not  regard  him  as  a  man 
sufficiently  strong  to  hold  the  reins  of  power  at  that 
juncture.  Moreover,  all  the  business  of  ruling  was 
largely  given  over  to  the  Uparat;  and  he  in  a  number 
of  ways  had  shown  his  opposition  to  our  work  and  his 
jealousy  of  the  English  and  of  foreigners  generally. 
When  news  reached  us  first  that  a  High  Commissioner 
was  appointed,  and  then  that  he  was  on  the  way,  there 
was  great  anxiety  to  know  what  stand  he  would  take 
with  reference  to  Christianity. 

Praya  Tep  Worachun  proved  to  be  an  admirable 


194    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

selection  for  Commissioner.  He  had  many  of  the  qual- 
ities of  a  statesman.  He  was  cool,  calm,  patient,  and 
wise.  Judging  from  the  result,  it  is  evident  that  his 
instructions  were :  to  be  conservative ;  to  make  no  rash 
or  premature  move ;  and  to  uphold  the  royal  authority 
conjointly  with  the  old  princely  rule — peaceably,  if 
possible,  but  firmly — till  Siam  could  assume  complete 
control.  Meanwhile  he  was  to  follow  the  English  plan 
of  governing  through  the  native  rulers.  He  was  will- 
ing to  bide  his  time.  Every  new  assumption  of  power 
on  the  part  of  Siam  was  reluctantly  yielded  by  the  Lao. 
But  everything  conspired  to  favour  the  policy  of  Siam. 
The  Lao  Prince  was  passive  and  unambitious.  For 
the  Uparat  no  one  felt  the  reverence  or  the  fear  that 
all  had  felt  for  the  late  Prince  Kawilorot.  The  Com- 
missioner's fairness  and  business  integrity  enabled 
him  to  maintain  himself  perfectly  in  his  difficult  posi- 
tion between  the  two  branches  of  the  Tai  race,  and 
amid  the  conflicting  interests  of  the  time. 

In  religion  the  new  Commissioner  was  a  stoic.  His 
boast  was  that  he  needed  no  other  religion  than  to 
be  loyal  to  his  king,  and  upright  and  just  in  his  deal- 
ings with  men.  Virtue  was  its  own  reward,  and  vice 
was  its  own  punishment.  He  accepted  Gibbon's  con- 
clusion that  all  religions  are  alike  good  for  the  state, 
alike  true  for  their  adherents,  and  alike  false  for  the 
philosopher.  He  encouraged  Christianity  because  it 
taught  a  good  morality  and  made  good  citizens.  But 
he  could  see  neither  the  possibility  nor  the  necessity  of 
an  atonement  for  sin.  On  one  point  I  should  say  we 
were  in  full  accord.  In  his  opposition  to  the  spirit- 
worship  of  the  Lao  he  was  almost  rabid.  He  sym- 
pathized deeply  with  the  poor  people  accused  of  witch- 
craft, who  were  driven  out  of  the  country. 


THE  RESIDENT  COMMISSIONER  195 

During  the  absence  of  Dr.  Cheek  and  Mr.  Wilson 
with  their  families,  I  should  have  been  utterly  unable 
to  cope  with  the  situation,  had  it  not  been  for  my  wife's 
clear  business  talent  and  tact  in  planning.  The  lit- 
tle girls,  too,  had  begun  to  show  somewhat  of  their 
mother's  aptitude  for  work. 

Meanwhile  the  fever  scourge  continued  to  spread  and 
increase  in  violence.  The  progress  of  the  disease  was 
so  rapid  that  often  the  person  attacked  would  never 
rally  at  all.  An  interesting  example  of  the  way  in 
which  healing  of  the  body  sometimes  opened  the  way 
to  the  healing  of  the  soul,  is  seen  in  the  case  of  Sen 
Kam,  an  officer  who  was  in  charge  of  all  the  irrigation 
works  on  the  Doi  Saket  plain,  and  who  one  day  was 
brought  to  my  gate,  as  it  was  supposed,  to  die.  The 
new  medicine  quickly  checked  his  fever,  and  presently 
he  began  to  study  in  Siamese  the  Shorter  Catechism, 
Genesis,  and  the  Gospel  of  John.  In  due  time  he 
returned  home  a  believer.  But  his  desertion  from 
Buddhism  caused  such  opposition  in  his  province  that 
his  baptism  was  delayed.  His  family  were  so  shaken 
that  some  of  them  wished  to  return  to  the  old  worship. 
But  one  young  grand-daughter  of  twelve  or  thirteen 
years  had  begun  to  read  our  books  and  to  attend  our 
services.  She  refused  to  return  to  the  monastery,  and 
would  run  away  from  it  to  the  chapel.  She  per- 
severed until  she  brought  back  the  whole  family  into 
the  Christian  fold. 

In  further  illustration  of  the  crowded  experiences 
of  this  time,  I  may  cite  the  following  items  from  let- 
ters to  our  children,  written  during  the  latter  half  of 
the  year  1877. 

"  Last  week  the  King  sent  for  your  father  to  treat  a 
prince  who  had  had  the  fever  for  fifteen  days.    During  his 


196    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

paroxysms  his  cries  could  be  heard  throughout  the  whole 
neighbourhood.  In  their  extremity  they  sent  for  your 
father,  and  gave  up  the  case  to  him  with  permission  to 
remove  all  spirit-charms  during  the  treatment.  He  is  now 
out  of  danger."     [Mrs.  McG.] 

"  For  three  weeks  I  have  had  a  young  prince  in  hospital 
who  had  attempted  suicide  by  cutting  his  throat.  He  was  a 
fearful  sight.  It  did  not  seem  possible  that  he  could  survive 
the  night.  I  sewed  up  the  wound,  however,  and  now  he  is 
well,  and  apparently  penitent."     [D.  McG.] 

"  We  are  well  as  usual,  but  engrossed  in  work.  Your 
father  is  pressed  beyond  measure  with  the  work  of  two  men. 
On  the  return  of  Dr.  Cheek's  boats,  we  received  forty 
ounces  of  quinine;  but  it  is  going  at  a  fearful  rate.  The 
hospital  is  full  of  patients,  and  there  are  at  least  one 
hundred  more  to  be  prescribed  for  daily.  If  I  did  not  drop 
everything  else  and  help  him,  he  could  not  possibly  get 
through  the  day's  work."     [Mrs.  McG.] 

"  Soon  the  quinine  was  all  gone,  and  our  compound  was 
becoming  a  veritable  lazaretto.  Most  of  the  patients  were 
anaemic  and  dropsical  from  long-standing  fever.  They 
came,  because  to  remain  at  home  was  to  die.  Then  a  new 
complication  arose.  Unusual  symptoms  began  to  occur  that 
I  could  not  account  for.  One  morning  at  breakfast  we 
were  called  to  see  a  little  girl  who  had  a  hemorrhage.  She 
had  no  cough  and  had  no  consumption.  While  I  was  look- 
ing up  the  symptoms  and  cause,  your  mother  discovered 
that  the  bleeding  was  from  the  gums.  That  gave  us  the 
clue.  It  was  scurvy.  I  found  that  we  had  at  least  thirty 
others  whose  gums  were  similarly  diseased.  We  began  at 
once  to  give  them  lime-juice,  and  prescribed  vegetables,  for 
the  lack  of  which  they  were  starving.  It  is  the  invariable 
custom  of  Lao  doctors  in  cases  of  fever  to  put  the  patient  on 
a  strict  diet  of  boiled  rice  and  dried  fish.  On  such  diet 
some  of  our  patients  had  been  living  for  two  or  three  months. 
They  might  as  well  have  been  on  an  arctic  voyage !  " 

[D.  McG.] 


THE  RESIDENT  COMMISSIONER  197 

"  Day  before  yesterday  we  tried  to  have  a  picnic.  A 
princess  had  promised  us  two  elephants,  but  only  one  came. 
Your  father  took  a  horse.  The  three  children  and  I  rode 
the  elephant.  Our  destination  was  the  Doi  Sutep  temple. 
About  half  the  way  up  the  mountain  the  elephant  either  con- 
cluded that  there  was  no  fun  in  going  up  alone,  or,  more 
probably,  that  he  had  an  uncomfortable  load,  and  refused 
to  go  any  further.  He  turned  out  of  the  road,  and  tried 
to  throw  the  driver  from  his  neck.  The  children  became 
alarmed,  and  we  dismounted  as  best  we  could.  The  chil- 
dren refused  to  try  riding  him  again;  and  since  we  had 
come  largely  for  their  pleasure,  we  had  our  lunch  by  a 
brook,  and  returned  home  on  foot."     [Mrs.  McG.] 

"  We  had  an  interesting  incident  at  our  December  com- 
munion. Just  as  I  had  announced  the  communion  hymn, 
I  saw  Chao  Borirak — the  Nan  prince,  who  had  twice  ac- 
companied me  with  his  elephant  on  my  journeys,  and  for 
whose  sake  largely  one  of  my  trips  to  Nan  had  been  taken — 
enter  the  room.  As  he  had  been  the  subject  of  much 
special  prayer  on  our  part,  I  could  hardly  command  my 
voice  sufficiently  to  proceed  with  the  hymn.  On  my  return 
from  my  furlough  he  had  written  that  he  would  visit  me  at 
the  first  opportunity.  His  uncle,  the  Prince  of  Nan,  had 
a  grandson  in  danger  of  losing  his  sight  from  an  accident. 
He  had  persuaded  the  Prince  that  possibly  our  medicine 
might  help  him.  He  brought  a  few  presents  from  the 
Prince,  and  for  himself  had  brought  a  gold  ring  with  a 
native  pearl  from  the  Nan  river.  He  is  very  anxious  that  I 
should  move  to  Nan,  but  I  tell  him  that  he  must  wait  for 
you.  .  .  .  With  fever  and  death  around  us  we  have  been 
wonderfully  preserved  from  '  the  pestilence  that  walketh  in 
darkness,  and  the  destruction  that  wasteth  at  noonday.' 
We  have  had  our  anxieties  about  the  children.  During  the 
last  hot  season  we  were  afraid  that  little  Margaret  would 
melt  away,  she  was  so  thin,"     [D.  McG.] 

But  the  labours  of  the  year  were  not  in  vain.  Dur- 
ing its  progress  Nan  Suwan,  who  afterwards  became 


198    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

the  founder  of  the  church  in  Chieng  Sen,  and  four 
others  who  became  influential  ruling  elders,  were  bap- 
tized. And  with  these  was  Pa  Kawng,  an  aged  slave 
of  the  Prince,  who  lived  to  be  one  of  the  Lao  saints. 


XVIII 
WITCHCRAFT 

ON  January  6th,  1878,  two  native  converts  were 
received  into  the  church— Nan  Si  Wichai,  the 
fine  scholar  who  had  been  Dr.  Cheek's  teacher, 
and  the  wife  of  a  leading  elder — and  with  them  our 
own  daughter  Cornelia.  This  was  the  bright  begin- 
ning of  the  year  that  brought  in  religious  toleration. 

One  day  in  March,  as  I  was  sitting  in  my  study,  I 
was  surprised  to  see  a  tall  man,  a  stranger,  with  the 
bearing  of  an  oflScer,  enter.  He  pointed  with  both 
fingers  to  his  ears,  and  asked  if  the  teacher  could  say 
"  Ephphatha,"  and  open  the  ears  of  a  deaf  man  as 
Jesus  did.  It  was  a  strange  introduction — to  be  ac- 
costed by  a  Lao  with  a  quotation  from  Scripture  in 
the  ancient  Aramaean  tongue!  I  judged  by  his  accent 
that  he  was  from  Lakawn.  In  answer  to  my  enquiry 
as  to  who  he  was,  I  learned  that  he  was  a  Praya,  the 
highest  rank  among  Lao  oflBcials ;  that  he  had  formerly 
been  first  in  the  Lakawn  court,  but  was  not  then  in 
oflSce.  But  where  had  he  received  a  Bible,  and  who 
had  taught  him? 

I  learned  that  some  twenty  years  before  this  he  had 
accompanied  his  Prince  to  Bangkok,  and  there  had  met 
Dr.  Bradley,  from  whom  he  received  a  copy  of  the  Old 
Testament  History  in  Siamese,  and  the  New  Testa- 
ment so  far  as  it  was  then  published.  He  had  learned 
Siamese  in  order  to  be  able  to  read  and  understand  the 
199 


200    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

contents  of  these  books.  He  often  wished  that  he  had 
lived  in  the  time  of  Christ.  But,  having  no  one  to 
guide  him,  he  had  not  learned  to  draw  the  lessons  that 
the  Bible  story  was  designed  to  teach. 

He  had  come  to  Chiengmai  to  get  the  assistance  of 
the  princes  there  in  righting  an  unjust  decision  of 
the  Lakawn  court  against  him.  He  had  heard,  too, 
that  there  were  teachers  of  a  new  religion;  and  he 
wished  to  know  whether  we  taught  as  did  Dr.  Bradley 
and  the  books  received  from  him.  His  position,  his 
manners,  his  whole  history,  including  his  connection 
with  my  father-in-law,  attracted  me  to  him  with  un- 
common force.  Our  first  interview  was  long  and  very 
satisfactory.  His  questions  were  such  as  he  had  long 
wished  to  put  to  some  one  who  could  explain  them. 
The  truth  had  been  securely  lodged  in  his  mind.  It 
was  most  interesting  to  see  how  a  single  new  thought 
would  illuminate  it  all. 

But  what  he  had  sown  he  was  then  reaping.  While 
in  power  he  doubtless  had  oppressed  others.  Once  he 
had  received  "  hush  money  "  from  murderers  whom  he 
should  have  prosecuted.  If  he  had  not  taken  it,  he 
said  they  would  have  murdered  him,  too.  His  sins 
weighed  upon  his  conscience.  His  most  anxious  ques- 
tion was  whether  Jesus  could  really  save  all  men  from 
all  sins.  When  asked  if  Buddha  could  do  so,  he 
said  that  he  never  had  seen  any  such  promise  in  any 
of  the  scriptures.  He  would  search  again.  He  went 
to  an  abbot  friend  from  whom  he  borrowed,  as  he  said, 
"  books  by  the  armful."  He  looked  them  over  with 
this  one  question  in  view:  Is  there  hope  of  pardon  of- 
fered to  sinners?  He  went  a  second  time  for  more. 
At  his  third  coming  the  abbot,  finding  out  what  he  was 
after,  refused  to  lend  to  him  further.     But  he  con- 


WITCHCRAFT  201 

fessed  that  his  search  was  in  vain.  He  argued  with 
the  monks,  refuted  them ;  and  they  cast  him  off.  Upon 
his  arrival  the  Chao  Uparat  had  promised  his  assist- 
ance in  the  lawsuit.  When,  however,  he  found  that 
the  Praya  was  becoming  a  Christian,  he  dropped  him. 
But  he  had  found  an  intercessor  greater  than  any 
earthly  prince.  For  Him  he  was  willing  to  face  all 
opposition  and  to  bear  all  reproach. 

He  was  baptized  on  the  8th  of  May,  just  before  re- 
turning home.  The  rains  had  already  set  in,  and  were 
likely  greatly  to  impede  his  journey.  Yet  he  reached 
Lakawn  without  encountering  a  shower.  His  account 
of  it  afterwards  was,  that  whenever  he  saw  the  clouds 
threatening,  he  would  wave  his  hands  and  pray  that 
they  might  be  dispersed.  Lao  Christians  have  not  be- 
come befogged  with  doubts  as  to  the  efficacy  of  prayer 
for  temporal  blessings.  After  his  return  to  his  home, 
his  family  all  became  believers,  and  others  also  whom 
he  taught.  At  his  invitation  I  went  over  to  instruct 
them  and  to  administer  the  sacraments.  Two  years 
later  the  number  was  suflScient  to  warrant  their  or- 
ganization into  a  church,  of  which  the  Praya  was  made 
the  first  elder. 

Dr.  Cheek's  return  at  the  end  of  April,  1878,  took 
from  my  shoulders  the  care  of  the  medical  work — a 
very  great  burden.  During  his  absence  I  had  put  up 
a  hospital  building  of  six  rooms.  This  since  then  has 
been  moved,  and  now  forms  the  nucleus  of  the  Chieng- 
inai  Hospital.  The  doctor  soon  found  himself  over- 
whelmed with  practice.  He  was  a  fine  surgeon  and  a 
good  doctor,  and  had  great  influence  both  with  princes 
and  with  people.  Moreover,  Mrs.  Cheek's  inheritance 
of  the  language — like  my  wife's — was  a  great  ad- 
vantage to  them  both.     Only  a  few  days  after  the  doc- 


202    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

tor's  arrival  we  lost  our  valuable  hospital  assistant, 
Lung  In.  One  evening  he  complained  of  some  trouble 
about  the  heart.  He  talked  a  few  moments  with  his 
family,  then  said  he  felt  better  and  would  go  to  sleep — 
and  in  an  instant  was  gone. 

In  1878  Chieng  Sen,  the  old  abandoned  city  which  I 
visited  in  1872,  became  the  theme  of  anxious  consulta- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  government.  The  Lao  had 
taken  away  the  inhabitants,  but  could  not  take  away 
the  land.  It  had  become  a  rendezvous  for  robbers 
and  lawless  men  from  all  quarters.  The  Western 
Shans  from  Burma  were  settling  upon  it.  Slam  evi- 
dently must  repopulate  the  province,  or  lose  it.  It  was 
finally  agreed  that  one  thousand  descendants  of  the 
original  captives  should  be  drafted  from  Chiengmai, 
one  thousand  from  Lakawn,  and  five  hundred  from 
Lampun,  and  sent  back  to  reoccupy  the  province.  Chao 
Noi  Inta,  the  highest  in  rank  of  the  available  descend- 
ants of  the  original  captive  princes,  was  commissioned 
as  governor.  The  special  interest  this  exodus  has  for 
our  narrative  lies  in  the  fact  that  among  these  re- 
turned captives  was  the  family  of  Nan  Suwan,  one  of 
our  best  men,  and  already  an  elder  of  the  church.  At 
first  Nan  Suwan  thought  of  buying  himself  off,  as 
many  did.  But  when  it  was  pointed  out  to  him  that 
his  going  would  be  the  means  of  starting  a  church 
there,  he  readily  consented  to  go. 

The  governor  was  a  warm  friend  of  mine,  and  was 
urgent  that  we  establish  a  mission  and  a  church  there 
before  Buddhist  temples  could  be  built.  The  province 
was  virgin  soil.  A  great  mortality  usually  attends  the 
repeopling  of  deserted  places  and  the  clearing  of  the 
land.     The  governor  was  very  anxious  that  we  should 


WITCHCRAFT  203 

send  a  physician.  Had  we  gone  then  with  five  hun- 
dred ounces  of  quinine,  we  should  have  had  command 
of  the  situation.  As  it  was,  Nan  Suwan  was  furnished 
with  some  quinine,  which  gave  him  the  name  of  doctor. 
Broad-minded,  hospitable,  kindly,  and  thoroughly  up- 
right, there  could  have  been  no  better  selection.  He 
became  the  real  father  of  the  Chieng  Sen  church.  His 
family  was  a  light  in  the  city.  His  youngest  daughter, 
Kiii  Keo,  one  of  Mrs.  McGilvary's  first  pupils,  taught 
most  of  the  early  Christians  there  to  read  the  Scrip- 
tures in  Siamese.  The  elder  himself  became  a  great 
favourite  with  the  governor,  who  used  to  say  that  the 
fact  of  his  being  governor,  and,  therefore,  under  author- 
ity, alone  prevented  him  from  uniting  with  the  church. 
Another  of  the  returning  captives  was  Sen  Ya  Wichai, 
the  first  believer  in  Chiengmai.  He  settled  on  the 
western  border  of  the  Chieng  Sen  plain. 

The  Lao  as  a  race  have  been  in  bondage  to  the  spirits. 
We  have  already  had  frequent  occasion  to  refer  to  the 
slavish  fear  of  them  among  all  classes,  from  the  highest 
to  the  lowest.  No  event  in  life,  from  birth  to  the  last 
offices  for  the  dead,  could  be  undertaken  without  con- 
sulting or  appeasing  the  presiding  spirits  of  the  clan, 
the  household,  or  the  country.  Their  anger  is  the  fruit- 
ful cause  of  every  disease  and  calamity  that  flesh  is 
heir  to. 

In  many  ways  this  would  seem  a  less  elevating  and 
ennobling  cult  than  pure  Buddhism.  But  really  it 
has  a  much  closer  aflSnity  with  Christianity  than  has 
Buddhism,  whether  as  scientifically  held  by  the  learned, 
or  as  embraced  by  the  common  people.  Buddhism  is 
too  atheistic  to  bring  it  into  comparison  here  with 
Christianity.     It  lacks  the  essential   attribute  of  re- 


204    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

ligion — a  sense  of  dependence  on  some  higher  power. 
It  belongs  to  a  different  order  of  thought.  The  spirit- 
cult,  on  the  other  hand,  does  recognize  invisible  powers 
whose  good-will  or  ill-will  brings  prosperity  or  ad- 
versity. From  this  to  one  Great  Spirit,  who  is  sover- 
eign over  all,  is  but  another  step  on  the  same  line  of 
ascent.  So  their  spirit-offerings  come  nearer  the  idea 
of  propitiation  than  do  the  offerings  of  Buddhism, 
which  in  some  quite  unaccountable  manner  are  sup- 
posed to  bring  merit  to  the  offerer. 

A  belief  in  witchcraft — that  is,  in  the  temporary 
or  permanent  residence  of  some  evil  spirit  in  men — 
has  been  confined  to  no  one  age  or  race.  Its  predom- 
inance among  the  northern  Tai  tribes  is  very  remark- 
able in  view  of  its  inconsistency  with  Buddhism,  which 
has  long  been  the  religion  of  the  race.  In  the  contest 
for  supremacy,  the  spirit-cult,  while  it  has  not  super- 
seded Buddhism,  has  secured  the  stronger  hold  on 
the  people.  They  worship  Buddha  and  make  offerings 
in  his  temples;  but  they  fear  and  dread  the  power  of 
the  spirits  to  inflict  present  evil.  It  is  safer  to  neglect 
Buddha  than  these.  And  the  power  of  a  malicious 
spirit  is  most  dreaded  when  it  has  taken  up  its  abode 
in  a  human  habitation. 

From  the  time  of  our  first  arrival  in  Chiengmai  we 
were  continually  amazed  to  find  what  multitudes  of 
people  had  been  driven  from  their  homes  for  supposed 
witchcraft.  All  the  northern  provinces  and  towns,  as 
has  already  been  mentioned,  were  largely  peopled  by 
that  unfortunate  class.  Accusation  of  witchcraft  had 
become  one  of  the  most  dreaded  means  of  oppression 
and  persecution.  It  was  a  favourite  way  of  getting 
rid  of  an  envied  rival  or  of  a  disagreeable  neighbour. 
No  family  and  no  rank  were  safe  from  such  attack. 


WITCHCRAFT  205 

Princes,  even,  had  fallen  under  its  ban.  When  once 
the  suspicion  of  witchcraft  was  well  started,  the  in- 
dividual or  the  family  was  doomed.  Our  sympathies 
had  often  been  aroused  in  behalf  of  these  unfortunates ; 
but  no  favourable  opportunity  had  occurred  for  inter- 
ference in  any  other  way  than  by  our  teaching. 

Finally,  in  August,  1878,  the  opportunity  came.  I 
had  a  request  from  a  prince  of  some  wealth  and  stand- 
ing, that  I  would  take  under  our  protection  Pa  Seng 
Bun  and  her  family,  accused  of  witchcraft.  The 
woman  was  first  the  under-wife  of  the  Prince's  de- 
ceased father,  who  was  a  man  of  note  in  his  day.  She 
had  two  fine  boys  by  a  subsequent  husband,  and  a  niece 
nearly  grown.  This  second  husband  was  a  widower, 
whose  former  wife  was  suspected  of  dealing  in  the 
occult  art;  and  the  theory  was  that  the  evil  spirit 
came  into  her  family  through  these  sons.  In  that 
season  of  heavy  rains  and  flooded  streams,  the  whole 
family  was  to  be  driven  off — some  of  them  surely  to  die 
on  the  way.  The  patron  said  that  he  was  helpless; 
that  no  one  in  the  land,  unless  it  were  ourselves,  could 
shield  them  from  that  fate.  I  told  him  that  we  were 
perfectly  willing  to  risk  the  anger  of  the  spirits,  only 
we  did  not  wish  unnecessarily  to  offend  the  prejudices 
of  the  people.  He  was  willing  to  assume  all  legal  re- 
sponsibility; for  the  rest,  we  might  fight  it  out  with 
the  spirits  as  we  pleased.  After  notifying  the  Siamese 
Commissioner  of  the  situation,  we  brought  the  family 
to  our  place. 

That  very  day  their  house  was  burned  down;  and 
not  a  tree  or  bush  was  left  standing  on  the  premises 
to  furnish  shelter  to  the  spirits.  But  that  did  not  stop 
the  clamour.  There  was  then  in  their  village  a  great 
epidemic  of  fever.     By  common  consent  it  was  agreed 


206  AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

that  this  had  been  caused  by  the  evil  spirit  resident  in 
the  lads.  With  boyish  curiosity  they  had  twice  or 
thrice  gone  back  to  visit  the  site  of  their  old  home,  and, 
strange  to  say,  after  each  visit  a  new  case  of  sickness 
had  occurred,  which  was,  of  course,  attributed  to  their 
presence.  It  was  vain  to  point  out  the  utter  ridicu- 
lousness of  the  idea,  or  to  show  that  no  sickness  had 
occurred  on  our  place  since  their  arrival.  That  was 
easily  explained.  The  spirit  was  afraid  of  our  God, 
and  did  not  dare  to  enter  the  premises.  It  took  refuge 
in  a  large  tree  outside  till  the  boys  came  out  again, 
when  it  entered  its  former  habitation  and  went  with 
them. 

Finally  the  patron  prince  sent  word  that  we  must 
give  that  family  up.  He  could  endure  the  odium  no 
longer.  When  I  refused,  he  threatened  to  take  the 
matter  into  court.  To  this  I  replied  that  I  was  per- 
fectly willing  that  the  case  be  tried ;  but  it  should  not 
be  tried  before  a  Lao  court,  but  before  the  Commis- 
sioner. If  they  could  convince  him  that  the  sickness 
in  the  village  was  caused  by  a  malicious  spirit  resi- 
dent in  that  family,  they  should  be  sent  off  immedi- 
ately. But,  I  added,  it  would  be  fair  to  make  one  con- 
dition. If  the  accusers  failed,  they  should  be  driven 
off.  This — as  I  knew  it  would  do — put  an  end  to  the 
whole  affair.  We  heard  no  more  of  it.  It  was  a  great 
victory  in  the  demon  controversy;  and,  later,  as  we 
shall  see,  it  proved  a  boon  to  scores  of  helpless  vic- 
tims. Before  the  arrival  of  the  Commissioner  such 
an  outcome  would  have  been  impossible.  No  Lao 
court  would  have  refused  to  expel  persons  so  accused. 
The  family  of  Pa  Seng  Bun  proved  to  be  a  treasure, 
becoming  one  of  the  most  influential  and  valuable  in 
the  Chiengmai  church. 


XIX 

THE  EDICT  OF  RELIGIOUS  TOLERATION 

OUR  narrative  has  now  brought  us  to  a  point 
where  an  apparently  trivial  circumstance  be- 
came the  occasion  of  an  event  not  only  of  ut- 
most importance  to  us  and  to  our  work,  but  of  far- 
reaching  consequences  to  the  country  at  large.  Some- 
time near  the  middle  of  this  year,  1878,  the  eldest 
daughter  of  Nan  Inta  was  to  be  married  to  a  Christian 
young  man  studying  for  the  ministry.  Both  parties 
at  that  time  were  virtually  members  of  our  family. 
The  expected  bride  was  a  pupil  of  Mrs.  McGilvary's, 
and  the  groom  was  a  private  pupil  of  mine.  The  im- 
mediate family  connections  on  both  sides  were  Chris- 
tians. Inasmuch  as  this  was  the  first  Christian  mar- 
riage in  the  church,  we  had  prepared  to  celebrate  it 
with  a  little  wedding  feast.  Besides  the  Christians,  a 
few  princes  and  a  few  special  friends  were  invited,  all 
anxious  to  see  a  Christian  marriage  ceremony.  Among 
the  invited  guests  was  Chao  Tepawong,  Nan  Inta's 
liege-lord,  and  brother  of  the  Uparat, 

We  learned  that  the  family  patriarch — known  to  be 
a  violent  opposer  of  Christianity — had  threatened  to 
prevent  the  marriage,  unless  we  first  paid  to  him,  as 
tribal  head  of  the  family,  the  spirit-fee  originally  de- 
signed to  furnish  a  feast  for  the  spirits.  It  was  a 
small  sum — among  common  people  not  more  than  six 
rupees.  That  payment  would  legalize  marriage  with- 
207 


208   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

out  any  further  ceremony.  In  fact,  the  payment  may 
be  regarded  as  a  distinctively  religious  act,  since  it 
recognizes  the  spirits  as  the  guardians  and  protectors 
of  the  family.  When  one  becomes  a  Christian,  that 
allegiance  is  cast  off.  By  an  unwritten  law  or  cus- 
tom of  the  country,  that  fee  belonged  to  the  patriarch, 
and  he  decided  to  exact  it  or  make  trouble.  I  had 
explained  the  marriage  ceremony  to  the  princes  and  to 
the  Commissioner.  I  knew  that  the  latter  recognized 
the  justice  of  our  position,  and  I  assumed  that  the 
government  would  support  us  if  the  patriarch  caused 
any  trouble. 

Sure  enough,  early  in  the  morning  the  patriarch's 
loud  voice  was  heard  in  our  yard  threatening  dire  pun- 
ishment to  the  family  if  his  demand  were  not  granted. 
The  bride's  father  became  alarmed,  and  thought  we 
must  have  some  ofl8cial  backing,  or  he  would  surely 
get  into  trouble.  The  guests  had  arrived,  and  every 
one  was  on  the  qui  vive  to  see  which  side  was  to  win 
in  the  contest.  I  went  to  the  liege-lord  of  the  family 
for  his  sanction ;  but  he  said  it  was  too  big  a  question 
for  him  to  pass  upon.  I  must  go  to  a  higher  authority. 
It  had  evidently  become  a  question  that  could  not  be 
settled  that  morning.  Old  Adam  would  have  said, 
"  Marry  them  and  trust  to  the  justice  of  your  cause. 
Let  the  old  patriarch  whistle !  "  But  we  teach  our 
Christians  to  be  obedient  to  the  law,  and  we  wished  to 
avoid  unnecessary  trouble.  So  there  was  nothing  to 
do  but  to  swallow  our  mortification,  apologize  to  our 
guests,  invite  them  to  partake  of  the  feast,  and  seek 
legal  sanction  afterwards. 

After  dinner  that  same  day  Dr.  Cheek  and  I  called 
upon  the  Commissioner.  We  had  failed,  and  were 
come  to  him  for  advice.     His  sympathies  were  easily 


THE  EDICT  OF  RELIGIOUS  TOLERATION  209 
enlisted,  but  he  had  no  authority  to  interfere  in  local 
or  tribal  matters.  He  advised  us  to  go  to  the  Prince. 
We  did  so,  meeting  him  and  the  Princess  alone.  Their 
position  was  like  that  of  the  Commissioner.  They 
too,  sympathized  with  the  young  couple  and  with  us' 
But  it  raised  a  new  question  for  them,  and  they  feared 
to  give  offence.  The  Princess  said  they  had  been 
criticised  by  our  enemies  for  standing  by  us;  but  if  the 
Chao  Uparat  would  give  his  sanction,  no  one  else 
they  thought,  would  dare  oppose.  So  we  went  next  to 
the  Uparat ;  but  there  we  ran  against  a  stone  wall.  He 
inwardly  laughed  at  our  predicament.  He  had  us  just 
where  he  wanted  us  to  be.  If  our  young  people  could 
not  marry,  our  work  would  be  virtually  stopped.  He 
said  that  no  one  but  the  King  of  Siam  had  authority 
to  interfere  in  such  a  question. 

We  returned  home  signally  defeated.  Next  day  I 
went  alone  to  the  Chao  Uparat,  and  argued  the  justice 
of  our  case.  The  parties  had  renounced  their  allegi- 
ance to  the  spirits.  It  was  clearly  unreasonable  to  re- 
quire what  we  could  not  conscientiously  submit  to.  I 
even  begged  him  to  come  to  our  aid,  since  both  the 
Commissioner  and  the  Prince  had  said  that  they  were 
sure  that  no  one  else  would  oppose  his  decision.  If 
we  were  compelled,  we  must  appeal  to  His  Majesty  the 
King  of  Siam,  though  we  should  be  very  reluctant  to 
do  so.  Since  marriage  is  a  civil  as  well  as  a  religious 
rite,  I  was  8ure  His  Majesty  would  admit  the  justice 
of  our  appeal.  Either  thinking  that  we  would  not 
make  the  appeal,  or  that  the  appeal  would  be  in  vain, 
he  at  last  refused  to  discuss  the  question  further.' 
Little  did  he  know,  nor  did  we  then,  that  he  was  doing 
the  best  possible  thing  for  us. 
I  returned  then  to  the  Commissioner  to  report.    The 


210    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO' 

conflict  which,  as  we  have  seen,  was  probably  inevitable 
between  the  royal  authority  represented  by  the  Com- 
missioner on  the  one  hand,  and  the  local  rulers  on  the 
other,  was  becoming  inevitable  sooner  than  was  an- 
ticipated. The  Commissioner  just  then  was  himself 
having  great  trouble  with  officials  who  were  restive 
under  his  authority.  The  Lakawn  Princes  had  a  dif- 
ficulty among  themselves,  and  had  come  to  the  Com- 
missioner to  have  the  case  adjudicated.  His  decision 
had  been  unfavourable  to  one  of  the  higher  officials — 
probably  the  chief  himself.  Whoever  it  was,  he  had 
committed  the  unpardonable  offence  of  departing  to 
Lakawn  without  taking  leave  of  the  Commissioner, 
presumably  intending  to  appeal  to  Bangkok.  So  that 
morning  I  found  His  Excellency  indignant  at  the  in 
suit  offered  to  him,  and,  through  him,  to  his  sovereign 
The  royal  authority  which  he  represented  was  chal 
lenged.  Moreover,  some  of  the  acts  of  the  Chao 
Uparat  had  offended  him.  His  impressions  were  con 
firmed  and  strengthened  by  the  recital  of  our  griev 
ances.  He  advised  me  to  write  these  all  out  in  full 
giving  specifications  that  could  be  substantiated — and 
such  were  rapidly  multiplying.  For,  provoked  at  Nan 
Inta  and  his  family,  and  emboldened  with  his  own  suc- 
cess in  stopping  the  wedding,  the  Chao  Uparat  had 
summoned  Nan  Inta  and  had  set  him  to  watching  his 
summer-house  on  the  river — the  work  of  a  menial,  such 
as  Nan  Inta  had  never  yet  been  reduced  to  doing. 

At  last  the  moment  had  come  when  an  appeal  for 
religious  toleration  might  be  made  with  fair  pros- 
pect of  success.  As  the  only  way  of  avoiding  con- 
tinual interference  in  the  future,  the  Commissioner 
himself  advised  that  the  appeal  be  made  for  religious 
toleration    in   general,    rather   than   for   freedom    of 


THE  EDICT  OF  RELIGIOUS  TOLERATION   211 

Christian  marriage,  which  was  only  a  single  item. 
The  Commissioner  was  busily  engaged  in  writing  out  a 
report  of  his  own  grievances,  to  be  sent  to  the  King.  He 
said  that  he  would  mention  our  case  also  in  his  report, 
and  offered  to  forward  my  letter  with  his  despatches. 

I  immediately  dropped  everything  else,  and  ad- 
dressed myself  to  writing  that  appeal  unto  Caesar.  In 
it  I  referred  to  the  sanction  of  the  Siamese  government 
to  the  establishment  of  the  mission,  given  after  the 
interview  with  Prince  Kawilorot  at  Wat  Cheng,  and 
subsequently  renewed  on  the  appointment  of  his  suc- 
cessor. Prince  Intanon.  I  was  very  careful  not  only 
to  exonerate  the  latter  from  all  blame,  but  also  highly 
to  commend  both  him  and  his  Princess  for  their  uni- 
form kindness,  and  for  their  sympathy  in  this  par- 
ticular emergency.  But  the  act  of  the  Chao  Uparat 
was,  no  doubt,  only  the  beginning  of  what  he  would  do 
if  he  were  not  restrained.  It  was  evidently  his  inten- 
tion to  reduce  to  slavery  a  family  that  had  always 
been  free.  In  behalf  of  his  loyal  Christian  subjects 
we  begged  His  Majesty  to  guarantee  to  them  the  same 
privileges,  civil  and  religious,  which  his  other  subjects 
enjoyed,  among  which  surely  was  the  right  to  be  mar- 
ried according  to  tne  ceremony  of  their  own  religion. 
One  request  I  put  in  with  some  misgiving — that  the 
Christians  might  be  exempted  from  compulsory  work 
on  the  Sabbath;  otherwise  that  point  might  always  be 
used  to  create  difficulty  when  the  master  was  hostile. 
While  thus  making  our  appeal  to  man,  importunate 
prayer  was  continually  offered  to  Him  who  had  been 
our  help  in  times  past. 

It  was  very  necessary  that  the  appeal  should  go  as 
the  joint  action  of  the  mission  as  then  constituted.  I 
was  aware  that  Dr.  Cheek,  the  only  other  member  of 


212    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

the  mission  then  on  the  ground,  did  not  enter  heartily 
into  the  appeal.  He  was  fearful  that  it  would  only 
make  bad  worse ;  that  it  would  give  offence  to  the  Lao 
rulers,  and  possibly  to  the  Siamese  as  well.  But  as  re- 
gards the  Lao,  matters  had  already  reached  an  extrem- 
ity in  the  case  of  the  one  who  really  ruled  the  coun- 
try. And  as  to  the  Siamese,  our  only  human  hope 
was  in  the  King,  So,  when  my  paper  was  finished,  I 
took  it  to  Dr.  Cheek,  and  read  it  over  to  him.  He 
listened  very  attentively  to  the  reading,  and  at  its 
close  I  was  delighted  to  hear  him  say,  "  That  seems 
all  right."  After  a  few  clerical  alterations  which  he 
suggested,  we  both  signed  the  paper.  A  summary  of 
it  was  read  to  the  Commissioner,  and  was  afterwards 
enclosed  by  him  with  his  despatches.  Our  appeal 
to  the  King  of  Siam  had,  of  course,  to  be  made  through 
the  United  States  Consul,  Colonel  Sickels.  Our  letter 
to  the  King  was,  therefore,  sent  unsealed  under  cover  to 
the  Consul,  so  that  he  might  read  it;  and  with  it  went 
a  letter  giving  him  a  full  account  of  all  the  particulars 
of  the  case,  and  urging  him  to  use  his  influence,  both 
personal  and  oflScial,  on  our  behalf.  The  whole  was 
entrusted  to  a  special  messenger  in  a  swift  boat,  with 
instructions  to  make  all  possible  speed. 

Having  done  our  best,  we  waited  prayerfully  and 
hopefully.  But  the  greatness  of  the  issue  involved 
made  us  anxious.  The  liberal  policy  of  the  young 
King  was  not  then  so  well  known  as  it  became  later. 
One  could  not  be  absolutely  certain  how  even  our 
Consul  would  regard  it.  We  trusted,  however,  to  the 
friendship  of  the  Foreign  Minister,  who  had  invited  me 
to  Pechaburi,  and  who  had  always  been  our  true 
friend.  No  one  of  all  these  persons  concerned  disap- 
pointed our  expectations,  or  even  our  hopes. 


THE  EDICT  OF  RELIGIOUS  TOLERATION  213 

Colonel  Sickels  acted  with  commendable  despatch. 
He  was  favoured  in  securing  an  audience  without  the 
usual  formalities.  At  that  time  His  Majesty  had  a  reg- 
ular day  each  week  when  his  subjects  and  others  might 
approach  him  informally  in  his  summer  garden  with 
petitions  on  urgent  business.  Our  appeal  was  pre- 
sented to  him  there.  He  was  already  aware  of  its  na- 
ture through  the  Commissioner's  despatches.  Anxiety 
with  regard  to  the  political  situation  in  the  North  no 
doubt  prompted  him  to  a  decisive  assertion  of  author- 
ity in  this  matter  as  well.  His  Majesy  informed  the 
Consul  that  his  government  had  already  reached  a 
decision  favourable  to  our  request,  and  that  full  re- 
ligious toleration  was  to  be  proclaimed. 

The  courier  returned  with  unwonted  speed,  reach- 
ing Chieugmai  on  Sunday,  September  29th.  Late  in 
the  afternoon  of  that  day  the  Commissioner  notified 
me  of  the  arrival  of  despatches.  Next  morning  1  called 
upon  him.  He  was  radiant  with  joy.  All  his  own  re- 
quests had  been  granted,  and  enlarged  powers  had  been 
given  him,  including  power  to  make  proclamation  of 
religious  toleration  in  all  the  Lao  states.  He  seemed 
as  much  delighted  with  our  success  as  with  his  own. 
He  said  that  he  had  already  notified  the  princes  and 
officials  to  call  in  the  afternoon,  and  he  would  then 
inform  them  of  the  result.  Of  course,  our  hearts  were 
overflowing  with  gratitude. 

At  the  appointed  hour  the  Prince,  the  Chao  Uparat, 
and  all  the  high  officials  were  assembled.  When  the 
order  for  the  proclamation  was  made  known,  some  of 
them  made  a  final  personal  appeal  to  him  to  stay  pro- 
ceedings. They  argued  that  unrestricted  permission 
to  become  Christians  would  be  the  ruin  of  the  country. 
To  understand  the  force  of  this  objection  it  must  be 


214    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

remembered  that  among  the  Lao,  breach  of  the  Sev- 
enth Commandment  was  punished,  not  by  civil  or 
criminal  procedure,  but  by  a  "  spirit-fine  "  paid  to  the 
patriarch  of  the  woman's  family.  It  was  argued  that 
if  Christian  young  men  should  transgress  with  Lao 
girls  or  women,  under  the  new  regime,  no  fine  could  be 
imposed,  and  there  would  be  no  redress  whatever.  The 
Commissioner  then  sent  a  messenger,  asking  me  to 
come  to  the  audience.  The  scene,  as  I  entered,  re- 
minded me  of  that  other  notable  audience  with  Prince 
Kawilorot  and  another  Commissioner.  The  Commis- 
sioner stated  their  objection,  and  asked  me  what  I  had 
to  say.  I  replied  that  the  difiiculty  was  purely  an 
imaginary  one.  In  the  first  place,  it  was  a  cardinal 
doctrine  of  the  church  to  forbid  such  sins.  In  the 
second  place,  if  a  professed  Christian  violated  his  vows, 
he  made  himself  amenable  to  the  discipline  of  the 
church,  and  so  put  himself  beyond  its  protection.  The 
Commissioner  said,  "  I  have  already  so  answered,  but  I 
wanted  those  who  are  present  to  hear  it  from  the 
teacher  himself."  To  this  no  reply  was  made.  After 
a  short  pause  the  Commissioner  broke  the  silence. 
With  a  gesture  to  the  audience,  he  said  that  the  busi- 
ness was  ended.  When  he  had  leisure,  the  Edict 
would  be  issued.  One  after  another  the  assembled 
princes  and  officials  retired. 

On  my  way  home  I  noticed  that  the  Chao  Uparat  had 
stopped  at  his  little  sala  beside  the  river,  the  same 
that  Nan  Inta  had  been  set  to  watch.  To  show  that 
I  had  no  personal  grudge,  I  stopped  to  call  on  him. 
Rising,  he  gave  me  a  more  respectful  welcome  than 
usual,  and  ordered  a  foreign  rug  to  be  spread — the  re- 
spectful way  of  receiving  guests  before  the  day  of 
chairs.     When  I  was  seated  he  asked  why  I  had  made 


THE  EDICT  OF  RELIGIOUS  TOLERATION   215 

complaint  against  him  to  Bangkok — he  was  very  sore 
at  heart  about  it.  I  replied  that  I  was  sorry,  indeed, 
to  be  obliged  to  do  it.  Did  he  not  remember  how  I 
had  told  him  that  we  could  not  submit  to  his  decision ; 
how  I  had  even  entreated  him  not  to  force  us  to  ap- 
peal to  the  King?  And  I  could  not  appeal  without 
giving  the  facts  as  my  ground  for  so  doing.  But  now 
I  hoped  that  bygones  might  be  bygones,  and  that  we 
might  be  friends. — The  fact  was  that  my  letter  had 
been  translated  in  Bangkok,  sent  back  to  Chiengmai, 
and  had  been  read  at  the  audience  before  my  arrival. 
But  I  never  before  had  such  a  reception  from  the 
Uparat. 

The  wording  of  the  proclamation  was  left  to  the 
Commissioner.  If  he  had  been  hostile,  or  even  indif- 
ferent, its  effect  might  easily  have  been  neutralized 
by  a  little  vagueness  or  ambiguity.  But  he  was 
anxious  to  have  the  matter  settled  decisively.  When 
I  took  my  leave  of  him  that  morning,  he  promised  to 
show  me  the  draft  of  the  proclamation  before  he  should 
aflBx  his  seal.  When  I  saw  it,  there  were  only  a  few 
verbal  changes  to  suggest.  It  was  a  general  permis- 
sion to  the  Lao  to  adopt  any  religion  they  pleased.  I 
suggested  that  since  it  was  specifically  granted  in  the 
interest  of  Christians,  it  was  desirable  that  Christi- 
anity be  specifically  named — which  was  done.  At  my 
request  two  extra  copies  of  the  proclamation  were 
made  with  the  official  seals  attached;  one  for  deposit 
in  our  safe,  and  one  that  might  be  read  to  the  people. 
The  following  is  a  literal  translation  of  this  famous 
document : 

I  Praya  Tep  Worachun,  Representative  of  His  Majesty 
the  Supreme  King  of  Siam  in  Chiengmai,  Lampun,  and 
Lakawn,  hereby  make  proclamation  to  the  Princes,  Rulers, 


216   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

and  Officers  of  various  grades,  and  to  the  common  people 
in  the  cities  and  provinces  named: — That  His  Majesty  the 
King  of  Siam  has  been  graciously  pleased  to  send  me  a 
Royal  Letter  under  the  Royal  Seal,  to  the  effect  that  D.  B. 
Sickels,  Esqr.,  United  States  Consul,  had  commimicated  to 
the  Foreign  Minister  of  Siam  a  complaint  signed  by  Rev. 
D.  McGilvary  and  Dr.  M.  A.  Cheek  against  certain  parties 
for  molesting  the  Christians  and  compelling  them  to  ob- 
serve their  old  religious  customs.  The  Foreign  Minister  laid 
the  subject  before  His  Majesty,  who  most  graciously  listened 
to  the  said  complaint,  and  gave  the  following  Royal  Com- 
mand in  reference  to  the  same: — 

That  religious  and  civil  duties  do  not  come  in  conflict. 
That  whoever  wishes  to  embrace  any  religion  after  seeing 
that  it  is  true  and  proper  to  be  embraced,  is  allowed  to  do 
so  without  any  restriction.  That  the  responsibility  for  a 
right  or  a  wrong  choice  rests  on  the  individual  making  the 
choice.  That  there  is  nothing  in  the  laws  and  customs  of 
Siam,  nor  in  its  foreign  treaties,  to  throw  any  restriction  on 
the  religious  worship  and  service  of  any  one. 

To  be  more  specific: — li  any  person  or  persons  wish  to 
embrace  the  Christian  Religion,  they  are  freely  permitted 
to  follow  their  own  choice. 

This  Proclamation  is  to  certify  that  from  this  time 
forth  all  persons  are  permitted  to  follow  the  dictates  of  their 
own  conscience  in  all  matters  of  religious  belief  and  practice. 

It  is  moreover  strictly  enjoined  on  Princes  and  Rulers, 
and  on  relatives  and  friends  of  those  who  wish  to  become 
Christians,  that  they  throw  no  obstacles  in  their  way,  and 
that  no  one  enforce  any  creed  or  work  which  their  religion 
forbids  them  to  hold  or  to  do — such  as  the  worship  and 
feasting  of  demons,  and  working  on  the  Sabbath  day,  except 
in  the  case  of  war  and  other  great  unavoidable  works,  which, 
however,  must  not  be  a  mere  pretence,  but  really  important. 
Be  it  further  observed  that  they  are  to  have  free  and  unob- 
structed observance  of  the  Sabbath  day.  And  no  obstacle  is 
to  be  thrown  in,  the  way  of  American  citizens  employing  such 
persons  as  they  may  need,  since  such  would  be  a  breach  of  the 
treaty  between  the  two  countries. 

Whenever  this  Proclamation  is  made  known  to  the  Princes 


THE  EDICT  OF  RELIGIOUS  TOLERATION   217 

and  Rulers  and  Officers  and  People,  they  are  to  beware  and 
violate  no  precept  contained  therein. 

Proclamation  made  on  the  Thirteenth  Day  of  the  Eleventh 
waxing  Moon,  in  the  Eleventh  Year  of  His  Majesty's  Reign, 
October  the  Eighth,  Eighteen  Hundred  and  Seventy-Eight. 

The  Edict  furnishes  a  second  natural  division  in  the 
history  of  the  Lao  mission.  Its  first  period  was  one  of 
struggle  for  its  very  existence,  culminating  in  positive 
prohibition  to  preach  the  gospel  and  virtual  expulsion  of 
the  missionaries.  That  situation  was  abruptly  brought 
to  an  end  by  the  death  of  Prince  Kawilorot  and  the 
appointment  of  his  son-in-law,  Prince  Intanon.  In 
our  second  period  of  struggle,  the  conclusion  of  which 
we  have  just  witnessed,  the  conditions  were  in  many 
respects  similar  to  those  of  the  first.  Our  chief  an- 
tagonists in  the  two  contests  were  alike  in  their  love 
of  absolute  power,  in  their  determination  to  break 
down  all  rival  influences,  and  alike,  therefore,  in  their 
settled  hostility  to  our  work.  In  neither  case  was  their 
antagonism  to  Christianity  primarily  on  religious 
grounds.  But  Kawilorot  was  of  much  more  imposing 
personality  and  figure  than  the  Uparat. 

Within  his  own  realm  Kawilorot  was  really  "  Lord 
of  Life."  He  was  absolute  head  both  of  church  and 
of  state.  He  brooked  no  rival  and  no  contradiction  in 
either.  The  highest  positions  in  the  religious  hier- 
archy were  bestowed  or  withdrawn  at  his  pleasure. 
His  own  brothers-in-law  languished  in  exile  in  Siam, 
because  it  was  not  thought  safe  for  them  to  return 
and  be  within  his  reach.  At  home  he  had  vanquished 
or  terrified  into  submission  all  possible  rivals.  Even 
the  court  of  Siam  seemed  inspired  with  a  wholesome 
fear  of  meddling  with  him.  The  crime  of  the  first 
Christians  was  the  unpardonable  one  that  they  had 


218    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

dared  to  become  such  against  the  will  of  Kawilorot. 
But  the  time  and  place  for  such  rulers  had  passed. 
Such  attitude  and  temper  suited  neither  a  position 
under  superior  authority,  nor  the  policy  of  a  govern- 
ment striving  to  rise  with  the  progress  of  the  age. 
But  he  served  his  purpose  in  the  world,  and  Providence 
used  him. 

Of  his  titular  successor,  Prince  Intanon,  and  of  his 
noble  wife,  I  have  already  spoken.  His  real  successor 
in  the  government  of  the  land,  and  in  his  championship 
of  the  old  regime  of  feudal  autocracy,  was  the  Chao 
Uparat.  But  he  had  neither  the  commanding  dignity 
of  Kawilorot  nor  his  interesting  personality ; — had  lit- 
tle, in  fact,  of  any  of  his  qualities  save  his  lodged  and 
settled  hatred  of  all  innovation.  For  him  we  had  none 
of  a  certain  kind  of  respect  which  the  late  Prince  in- 
spired; and  we  were  under  no  constraint  of  gratitude 
for  favours.  The  only  debt  of  gratitude  the  mission 
owed  him  was  for  being,  by  his  lawless  acts,  the  un- 
witting and  unwilling  cause  of  the  proclamation  of  re- 
ligious freedom. 

But  the  crisis  which  he  precipitated  hastened  like- 
wise that  centralization  of  government  which  Siam  was 
waiting  for.  The  tendency  of  the  age  is  everywhere 
toward  centralization.  Strong  central  governments 
are  everywhere  taking  the  place  of  weak  and  scattered 
ones.  Chiengmai  itself  and  all  the  existing  Lao  states 
have  grown  by  the  capture  and  absorption  of  their 
weaker,  though  by  no  means  insignificant,  neighbours. 
The  authority  and  fear  of  Siam  had  long  been  felt  in- 
directly in  preventing  those  petty  wars  in  which  one 
weak  state  captured  and  enslaved  another.  That 
authority  was  now  to  be  exerted  more  directly  to  bring 
to  an  end  the  era  of  arbitrary,  personal,  autocratic 


THE  EDICT  OF  RELIGIOUS  TOLERATION  219 

rule  among  its  dependencies,  and  to  establish  in  its 
place  the  more  equal  and  stable  reign  of  law.  Feudal- 
ism with  its  "  organized  anarchy  "  was  to  give  way  to 
the  Nation. 

Such  was  the  period  at  which  we  have  arrived  in  this 
narrative  of  our  life  and  work  in  the  Lao  states.  It 
is  a  wonderful  thing  to  have  lived  through  such  a 
series  of  changes,  and  possibly  to  have  been,  under 
Providence,  the  means  of  bringing  some  of  them  about. 
We  work  for  an  end  apparent  to  ourselves ;  but  God's 
designs  are  deeper  and  broader  than  ours.  "He 
maketh  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  Him."  Of  nations, 
as  well  as  of  individuals,  is  it  true  that 

"  There's  a  divinity  that  shapes  our  ends, 
Rough-hew  them  how  we  will." 

Among  the  Christians  the  Edict,  of  course,  was 
greeted  with  an  outburst  of  joy.  To  Nan  Inta  it  was 
like  life  from  the  dead.  It  was  in  reality  freedom  from 
slavery.  And  no  man  made  such  efficient  use  of  it  as 
he  did.  With  the  sealed  copy  of  the  Edict  in  his  hand, 
he  returned  to  his  village;  and  wherever  he  went  he 
could  assure  the  people,  on  the  faith  of  his  Sovereign, 
that  a  profession  of  the  "  Jesus-religion  "  meant  neither 
the  ruffian's  club  nor  slavery.  The  effects  of  the  Edict 
upon  the  church  will  be  traced  in  its  future  growth 
as  our  story  moves  on.  I  may  venture,  however,  to  an- 
ticipate so  much — that  within  two  years'  time  two  of 
our  strongest  village  churches  were  organized;  one  of 
them  in  Nan  Inta's  own  village.  Neither  of  these 
churches  could  have  existed  had  not  the  Uparat's 
power  been  abridged. 

To  the  country,  the  new  authority  conferred  on  the 


220    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

High  Commissioner  at  that  time  has  resulted  in  a 
revolution  as  silent  and  as  effectual  as  the  change  of 
the  seasons.  His  new  title,  Pu  Samret  Rachakan — he 
who  fulfills  the  King's  work — was  used,  I  believe,  for 
the  first  time  in  that  proclamation;  and  it  really 
marked  the  passing  of  the  sceptre  from  the  hands  of 
the  Princes  of  Chiengmai.  The  titular  Chao  Chiwit — 
Lord  of  Life^ — was  allowed  to  retain  his  title  and 
honours  during  his  lifetime;  but  he  has  had  no  suc- 
cessor. The  Lao  country  has  ceased  to  be  either  a 
feudal  dependency  or  a  separate  "  buffer-state." 
Silently — almost  imperceptibly — it  has  become  an  in- 
tegral portion  of  the  consolidated  Kingdom  of  Siam. 
Autocratic  rule  has  everywhere  ceased.  And  all  these 
changes  are  directly  in  line  with  the  civilization  of  the 
age. 


XX 

SCHOOLS— THE  NINE  YEARS'  WANDERER 

THE  year  1879  opened  auspiciously.  In  Marcha 
little  variety  was  introduced  into  our  secluded 
life  by  an  oflBcial  visit  to  Chiengmai  of  Major 
Street,  the  British  Commissioner  at  Maulmein.  He 
and  his  party  arrived  quite  unexpectedly,  spent  a  week 
in  the  city,  and  attended  an  English  service  at  the 
mission  on  Sunday.  We  met  them  a  number  of  times, 
both  socially  and  at  ofiScial  dinners.  They  strength- 
ened the  position  of  the  Commissioner,  and  did  us  all 
good.  But  at  that  time  we  were  anxiously  awaiting 
another  arrival,  in  which  we  were  more  intimately  con- 
cerned. Mr.  Wilson,  who  had  been  for  two  and  a  half 
years  absent  on  furlough,  was  daily  expected,  and  with 
him  were  our  long-looked-for  teachers  for  the  Girls' 
School. 

The  party  was  to  arrive  on  April  9th.  To  please 
the  three  children  and  myself,  on  the  afternoon  of  the 
8th  we  four  started  down  the  river  in  a  small  boat 
to  meet  and  welcome  them.  But  the  river  was  low, 
and  we  had  not  yet  reached  them  when  darkness  came 
on  and  we  were  obliged  to  seek  moorings.  When,  at 
last,  we  got  ashore,  we  learned  to  our  great  joy  that 
the  mission  boats  were  moored  only  a  few  hundred 
yards  below,  in  the  same  bend  of  the  river.  We 
all  walked  down  in  the  moonlight,  and  presently  spied 
their  lights  close  at  hand.    The  young  ladies  had  re- 


222    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

tired  to  read,  but  not  to  sleep.  The  meeting  by  moon- 
light at  the  river's  brink  was  quite  romantic.  We 
talked  till  ten  o'clock,  though  Mr.  Wilson  was  so 
hoarse  that  he  could  scarcely  speak.  At  daybreak  our 
fleet  was  under  way.  We  had  a  jolly  breakfast  to- 
gether on  board — our  visitors  at  their  little  table,  and 
we  on  the  deck.  We  then  visited  hard  again  until 
noon;  but  it  was  two  o'clock  before  we  caught  sight 
of  the  mission  premises,  with  the  native  Christians 
all  waiting  to  greet  the  arrivals,  old  and  new. 

The  High  Commissioner,  a  few  days  later,  gave  a 
dinner  to  the  mission,  saying  in  the  note  of  invitation 
that  it  was  in  honour  of  the  young  ladies,  for  the  bold- 
ness and  piety  that  enabled  them  to  leave  their  fathers 
and  mothers,  and  come  so  far  to  teach  his  people. 
When  notified  of  their  arrival,  the  Princess  sent  down 
carriages  and  had  us  all  up  to  call  on  her.  She  was 
delighted  to  welcome  the  young  ladies,  and  was  inter- 
ested in  the  school. 

The  Siamese  and  the  Lao  tongues  are  two  closely  re- 
lated branches  of  the  same  linguistic  stock.  The  idiom 
and  the  great  body  of  common  words  are  nearly  the 
same  in  the  two,  differing,  where  they  do  differ,  chiefly 
in  accent  and  intonation.  Siamese  is,  of  course,  the 
speech  of  the  ruling  race  throughout  the  Siamese  king- 
dom; and  even  at  the  time  of  which  we  are  speaking 
it  was  easy  to  foresee  that  the  local  dialect  of  its 
northern  provinces  must  eventually  give  way  before  it, 
especially  for  all  official  and  literary  purposes.  The 
chief  obstacle  in  the  way  of  a  speedy  victory  for  the 
Siamese  has  been  the  fact  that  the  Lao  is  written  in  a 
wholly  different  character.     Were  the  two  alike  in  this 


SCHOOLS— THE  NINE  YEARS'  WANDERER    223 

respect,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  standard  form  of 
speech  would  take  the  place  of  the  dialectal  almost 
without  notice. 

Of  necessity  all  teaching  so  far  attempted  had  been 
in  the  Siamese.  There  was  not  a  schoolbook  in  the 
Lao  character  save  the  spelling  tables.  When  these 
had  been  mastered,  there  was  no  reading-book  in  Lao 
that  could  be  put  into  the  hands  of  the  pupils ;  nor  was 
there  prospect  of  any  such  being  printed  for  years  to 
come.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  Siamese  character 
there  was  a  considerable  Christian  literature  in  print, 
both  religious  and  general,  already  available  for  pur- 
poses of  education.  Our  pupils,  moreover,  had  all  been 
girls;  and  almost  no  Lao  women  at  that  time  could 
read  writing  in  any  character.  It  was,  therefore,  not 
only  much  simpler,  but  quite  as  well  for  them  on  other 
accounts,  to  learn  the  Siamese  character  from  the 
start. 

Now,  however,  when  we  were  arrived  at  the  estab- 
lishment of  regular  schools  with  a  permanent  organi- 
zation and  policy,  the  question  could  no  longer  be 
postponed,  In  which  language  shall  instruction  be 
given?  It  was  not  an  easy  question  to  decide.  With 
regard  to  it  there  was  difference  of  opinion  among  the 
missionaries,  both  old  and  new.  On  the  one  hand,  it 
was  urged,  that  since  ours  was  a  Lao  mission,  the  Lao 
should,  of  course,  be  the  language  of  the  schools.  On 
the  other  hand  were  pointed  out  the  greater  scope  and 
availability  of  the  Siamese,  its  assured  supremacy,  and 
the  dwindling  future  of  the  Lao  throughout  the  terri- 
tory of  Siam.  The  matter  at  last  was  compromised  by 
continuing  the  Siamese  in  the  Girls'  School,  and  adopt- 
ing the  Lao  for  the  boys. 

Meantime  it  was  desirable  to  have  some  portions  of 


224   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

the  Scriptures  in  tlie  Lao  character;  and,  to  accomplish 
this,  the  first  requisite  was  a  font  of  Lao  type.  To  this 
end,  on  my  first  furlough  in  1873,  I  went  from  North 
Carolina  to  New  York,  and  not  only  spent  some  time, 
but  was  at  some  personal  expense,  in  the  effort  to  se- 
cure such  a  font.  The  American  Bible  Society  voted 
a  liberal  sum  for  the  purpose.  But  there  turned  out 
to  be  some  mechanical  diflSculties  to  be  overcome  in 
making  and  using  the  type,  which  were  beyond  my 
skill  to  solve.  So,  lest  the  attempt  should  fail  in  my 
hands,  I  gave  it  up.  And  having  accomplished  nothing, 
I  presented  no  bill  of  expense  either  to  the  Bible  So- 
ciety or  to  the  Board. 

There  seemed,  indeed,  to  be  some  fatality  attending 
our  efforts  in  this  direction.  Mr.  Wilson,  on  the  fur- 
lough from  which  he  was  but  now  returned,  had  gone 
further.  He  actually  succeeded  in  getting  a  font  of 
Lao  type.  But  the  whole  of  it  was  lost,  and  never 
reached  the  mission.^  It  was  not  until  Dr.  Peoples' 
furlough  in  1889  that  we  succeeded  in  getting  our  pres- 
ent type.  Meanwhile  we  had  used  the  Siamese  Scrip- 
tures, with  some  present  disadvantages,  indeed,  but  with 
some  advantages  as  well.  Some  of  our  first  Christians 
were  attracted  to  our  religion  by  their  desire  to  learn 
Siamese;  and  the  Siamese  Bible  and  catechism  were 
our  textbooks.  And  now,  under  Siamese  rule,  knowl- 
edge of  the  Siamese  opens  the  way  to  promotion  in  the 
government  service.     Siamese  alone  is  taught  in  the 

^Mr.  Wilson  brought  only  a  few  specimens  with  him.  He 
writes : — "  The  rest  of  the  type  was  to  be  boxed  up  and  sent  to  Mr. 
Cutter,  and  the  boxes  were  to  be  put  away  in  the  store-room  of  the 
Mission  Rooms  at  23  Centre  Street,  and  forwarded  when  called  for. 
They  must  have  been  lost  when  the  Board  moved  from  23  Centre 
Street  to  the  Lenox  property,  and  then  to  156  Fifth  Avenue. 


SCHOOLS— THE  NINE  YEARS'  WANDERER    225 

government  schools.    Young  monks  are  more  eager  to 
study  Siamese  than  their  own  tongue. 

But  the  important  thing,  after  all,  was  that  we  had 
a  school  actually  begun,  and  that  there  was  teaching 
in  both  dialects.  It  was  like  a  new  beginning  of  our 
work  under  conditions  more  favourable  than  at  the 
first.  For  twelve  years  it  had  been  a  hard,  and,  some- 
times, an  apparently  hopeless  struggle.  But  the  his- 
tory of  missions  affords  many  similar  instances  with 
even  fewer  visible  results.  In  twelve  years  we  had 
gathered  forty  converts  into  the  church.  Some  of  these 
were  among  the  most  useful  we  have  ever  had  in  the 
history  of  the  mission.  It  is  hard  to  estimate  rightly 
the  importance  of  work  spent  on  the  foundations  of 
such  an  enterprise.  But  now,  with  that  church  or- 
ganized, with  the  medical  work  well  established,  the 
evangelistic  work  strengthened,  and  the  initial  school, 
begun  long  before  by  Mrs.  McGilvary,  placed  on  a  per- 
manent basis,  we  could  write  in  large  letters  on  our 
altar,  "  Jehovah-Nissi  " — Jehovah  our  banner. 

In  the  early  part  of  this  year,  1879,  twelve  more 
persons  were  gathered  into  the  church.  One  of  them 
was  Pa  Seng  Bun,  the  poor  woman  accused  of  witch- 
craft, who,  with  so  much  difficulty,  was  saved  from 
her  persecutors.  Another  was  Mun  C,  who  was  a 
daily  visitor  when  we  were  here  on  our  first  tour  of 
exploration.  And  another  was  our  own  dear  little 
Margaret.  Somewhat  later  there  came  to  our  notice 
one  of  the  most  interesting  of  all  the  incidents  in  the 
chequered  history  of  our  mission.  One  morning,  on 
returning  from  my  work  in  the  city,  I  was  told  that 
a  man  had  been  waiting  to  see  me,  and  was  then  talk- 
ing to  Nan  Inta.     Stepping  down  to  the  house,  where 


226   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

a  number  of  persons  had  collected,  I  saw  a  handsome 
man  of  medium  height,  but  of  striking  figure,  larger 
and  more  portly  than  is  usual  among  the  Lao,  and 
thirty-three  years  old,  as  I  learned. 

Nan  Ta,  for  that  was  the  stranger's  name,  said  that 
not  long  after  our  first  arrival  in  Chiengmai,  while  he 
was  jet  a  monk  in  the  king's  monastery,  he  had  vis- 
ited me,  and  was  struck  with  those  points  in  the  teach- 
ings of  Christianity  which  differentiate  it  from 
Buddhism.  He  received  a  copy  of  the  Gospel  of  Mat- 
thew in  Siamese,  learned  a  few  verses,  and  took  the 
book  home  with  him  to  the  monastery.  Afterwards 
he  visited  me  occasionally  to  take  a  few  further  les- 
sons in  it.  He  was  a  protege  of  Prince  Kawilorot,  who 
paid  the  expenses  of  his  entering  the  monastic  order. 
He  thus  became  the  Prince's  "  Luk  keo  "  ^  {jewel-son), 
in  effect  his  adopted  son.  Not  long  after  this  he  left 
the  priesthood,  married,  and  settled  out  in  the  coun- 
try. But  he  paid  us  a  few  visits  from  time  to  time, 
always,  as  he  said,  to  talk  on  religion  and  to  study 
Siamese. 

When  the  order  for  the  murder  of  the  Christians  was 
given,  a  monk  who  was  a  friend  of  his  met  him  in  the 
streets,  and  asked  whether  he  knew  that  his  house  was 
to  be  burned  over  his  head,  explaining  that  the  Prince 
had  nourished  him  as  a  son,  and  now  he  had  apostatized 
and  joined  the  foreign  religion.  Advising  him  to  con- 
sider well  and  quickly,  the  priest  hurried  on.  So  it  had 
become  known  in  the  palace  that  he  was  visiting  us 
and  studying  the  Jesus-religion.  There  was  no  time 
to  be  lost,  not  even  to  bid  good-bye  to  his  young  wife. 
On  that  eventful  Saturday  afternoon,  just  before  the 

^  A  designation  whose  nearest  parallel  in  English  is,  perhaps,  god- 
son. 


SCHOOLS— THE  NINE  YEARS'  WANDERER    227 

flight  of  our  servants,  he  stopped  at  our  door ;  but  see- 
ing no  one,  he  hastened  on.  On  Sunday  he  secreted 
himself  in  a  deserted  monastery  near  the  mountains. 
Next  day  he  fell  in  with  a  company  of  traders,  going 
to  Chieng  Rai,  six  days'  journey  to  the  north,  and 
travelled  with  them  without  making  known  what  his 
errand  was.  At  Chieng  Rai  he  learned  that  the  Chris- 
tians were  put  to  death  the  day  after  he  left.  He  was 
still  within  the  Lao  realm,  and  might  be  arrested.  He 
made  his  way,  therefore,  to  Keng  Tung,  in  Burmese 
territory,  ten  or  fifteen  days'  journey  still  further  to 
the  north. 

After  remaining  there  some  three  years,  he  returned 
to  Chieng  Rai,  where  he  heard  of  the  death  of 
Kawilorot  and  the  accession  of  Prince  Intanon.  Still 
in  fear,  he  passed  through  the  towns  to  the  east  of 
Chiengmai,  venturing  even  as  near  as  Lakawn.  Then 
crossing  the  Me  Ping  valley  to  the  south  of  Chiengmai, 
he  went  beyond  the  Sal  win  into  Burma,  stopping 
awhile  among  the  Red  Karens,  and  then  going  on  to 
Maulmein.  Seeing  there  a  foreigner's  house,  he  en- 
quired if  anything  was  known  concerning  the  mis- 
sionaries in  Zimme  (Chiengmai).  Nothing  was  known 
of  them.  Returning  again  to  Siamese  territory,  he 
went  to  Raheng,  thinking  that  he  would  go  on  to 
Bangkok.  There,  however,  he  was  told  that  the  mis- 
sionaries had  gone  back  to  the  United  States — in- 
formation based,  no  doubt,  on  our  departure  on  fur- 
lough. 

During  his  long  wanderings  he  had  made  friends  as 
he  could,  and  to  support  himself  had  sometimes  turned 
peddler.  In  the  haste  of  his  flight  from  home  he  had 
taken  nothing  with  him  except  his  copy  of  the  Gospel 
of  Matthew  in  Siamese.     He  could  not  read  it  well,  but 


228    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

he  kept  it  as  a  kind  of  talisman,  till  it  was  now  well 
worn.  He  had  learned  to  praj  daily.  He  never  dared 
to  return  till  he  heard  of  the  Edict  of  Toleration.  He 
regarded  it  as  a  special  providence  that  his  wife, 
strange  to  say,  had  not  married  again.  The  child  born 
after  his  flight  he  found  grown  to  be  a  fine  girl  nine 
years  old.  He  was  delighted  to  find  the  missionaries 
again. 

It  was  a  thrilling  story.  This  man  did  not  have  to 
become  a  Christian — he  was  one  already.  His  first 
desire  was  to  understand  all  that  there  was  in  his 
Gospel  of  Matthew.  It  was  evident  that  he  had  been 
spared  and  kept  for  some  wise  purpose.  And  so  it 
proved.  Since  I  needed  a  teacher,  and  since  he  was 
a  fine  Buddhist  scholar,  I  employed  him  as  teacher, 
so  that  I  might  have  him  near  me  in  order  to  teach 
him.  He  was  an  apt  pupil,  making  rapid  progress  in 
knowledge,  and  growing  in  grace.  His  romantic  his- 
tory interested  and  attracted  others.  As  a  church 
member,  as  a  ruling  elder,  and  afterwards  as  an  or- 
dained minister,  he  was  a  power  in  the  church  till 
the  day  when  he  was  taken  up.  Thousands  heard  the 
Gospel  from  his  lips,  and  many  were  drawn  by  his 
words  and  by  his  life  into  the  fold  of  Christ. 

How  wonderful  are  God's  ways  in  leading  His  people! 
Doubtless  the  defection  of  this  man  was  one  of  the 
things  which  alarmed  Kawilorot.  It  may  even  have 
hastened  the  fate  of  the  martyrs.  But  no  doubt  the 
Lord  chose  a  wonderful  way  of  saving  to  His  church 
this  most  useful  minister  of  the  Gospel. 

After  long-continued  weakness  on  the  part  of  Mrs. 
McGilvary,   an   acute  attack   of  pneumonia  made   a 


SCHOOLS— THE  NINE  YEARS'  WANDERER    229 

longer  stay  in  the  country  impossible.  My  daughter 
Cornelia  was  taken  ill  at  the  same  time.  So,  with 
but  little  preparation,  on  December  28th,  1879,  both 
mother  and  daughter  were  carried  in  chairs  to  the 
boat,  and  we  hastened  out  of  the  country.  Stopping 
in  Bangkok  only  a  few  days,  we  embarked  for  Hong- 
kong. We  met  the  China  Sea  in  its  worst  mood.  For 
three  days  and  nights  we  did  not  see  the  captain's  face ; 
neither  did  he  see  sun,  moon,  or  stars  in  that  most 
dangerous  tract  of  the  sea.  The  skylight  was  fastened 
down,  for  the  waves  swept  the  vessel  from  stem  to 
stern.  We  were  good  sailors;  but  we  could  not  but 
pity  the  one  hundred  and  twenty  Chinese  steerage 
passengers,  allowed  on  deck  only  a  few  moments  twice 
a  day  for  a  breath  of  air,  after  which  they  had  almost 
to  be  forced  back  into  their  hole  again.  There  was 
withal  just  enough  of  the  spice  of  danger  to  make  the 
sight  of  Victoria  Peak  at  last  doubly  welcome. 

By  this  time  my  family  were  all  so  much  improved 
by  the  journey  that  there  was  question  whether  I 
should  proceed  with  them,  or  should  return  to  Chieng- 
mai  for  another  year's  work.  It  was  evident  that,  in 
order  to  regain  her  strength,  Mrs.  McGilvary  would 
require  a  longer  stay  in  the  United  States  than  one 
year.  I  could  neither  spare  the  time  for  so  long  a 
furlough  for  myself,  nor  could  I  expect  the  Board  to 
grant  it.  The  question  was  not  an  easy  one;  but  we 
decided  at  last  that  my  wife  and  children  should  con- 
tinue their  journey  to  the  United  States,  and  that  I 
should  return  to  Chiengmai  alone. 

During  my  few  days'  stay  in  Bangkok,  through  the 
kindness  of  our  Consul,  I  had  an  audience  with  His 
Majesty  the  King.     I   desired  to  express   to  him   in 


230   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

person  my  thanks  for  the  Edict  of  Toleration.  After 
some  remarks  addressed  to  the  other  gentlemen  pres- 
ent, the  King  asked  me  if  I  were  not,  during  the  previ- 
ous month,  the  bearer  of  despatches  from  his  Commis- 
sioner in  the  North — showing  that  he  did  not  overlook 
small  matters,  as  a  king  might  be  expected  to  do.  He 
enquired  how  I  liked  the  Commissioner,  whether  I 
preached  in  Siamese  or  in  Lao,  how  many  converts 
we  had,  etc.,  etc.  It  was  a  very  pleasant  inter- 
view. 

As  I  ascended  the  river,  it  became  plain  that  the 
water  was  too  low  to  permit  the  latter  stage  of  the 
trip  to  be  made  in  my  large  boat.  At  Chiengmai  I 
should  find  a  house,  but  not  a  home.  Before  I  could 
reach  it,  the  touring  season  would  be  nearly  over. 
The  thought  of  stopping  a  season  for  work  at  Raheng 
struck  me  favourably.  The  more  I  considered  it,  the 
more  attractive  it  became.  To  be  sure,  I  had  not  se- 
cured the  sanction  of  the  mission  to  that  particular 
enterprise;  but  I  had  always  been  allowed  to  choose 
my  own  touring  ground.  An  officer.  Sen  Utama,  of- 
fered me  a  site  for  a  bamboo  house  gratis;  and  before 
I  had  announced  my  final  decision,  he  and  others  be- 
gan to  cut  bamboo  on  it  to  build  the  house.  I  had 
asked  for  guidance,  and  the  question  seemed  to  settle 
itself. 

I  cannot  dwell  on  the  interesting  six  months  of  the 
year  1880  spent  there.  Sen  Utama  was  interested 
from  the  first.  By  affliction  he  had  been  wonderfully 
prepared  for,  and  seemed  to  be  waiting  for,  the  very 
consolation  that  the  Gospel  offered  him.  An  ex-tax- 
collector,  a  Chinese  of  some  influence,  was  in  the  same 
state  of  mind,  and  soon  joined  the  other  as  an  en- 
quirer.    My  student,   Noi   Intachak,   entered   heartily 


SCHOOLS— THE  NINE  YEARS'  WANDERER    231 

into  the  work.  Soon,  with  my  cook  and  boy,  we  had 
the  nucleus  of  quite  an  interesting  congregation  who 
attended  worship  twice  a  day.  It  was  a  delight  to 
teach  them. 

The  case  of  the  Chinese  was  deeply  interesting.  He 
believed  the  Gospel  plan  of  salvation,  and  was  deeply 
anxious  to  be  saved  from  his  sin  and  its  punishment. 
But  there  was  one  serious  obstacle  in  the  way  of  his 
making  an  open  profession — he  had  two  wives.  The 
real  wife — the  one  he  had  formally  married — was  child- 
less. The  one  he  had  bought  was  younger,  and  had  two 
lovable  little  children,  both  girls.  I  recall  almost  with 
tears  the  burning  questionings  we  had  over  that  situa- 
tion. He  seemed  willing  to  make  any  self-sacrifice  that 
duty  required.  But  what  was  duty?  Should  he  di- 
vorce one  of  them?  If  so,  which  one?  "  Of  course,  he 
must  keep  the  real  one,"  you  will  say.  But  what  of 
the  young  mother  and  the  helpless  babes?  The  very 
mention  of  their  being  turned  adrift,  even  with  a 
dower,  had  produced  a  scene  in  the  family.  The 
poor  woman  felt  quite  unable  to  care  for  the  children 
alone.  The  children  were  his  children.  It  might  easily 
have  been  the  ruin  both  of  mother  and  babes  to  put 
her  away.  My  heart  was  not  hard  enough  to  advise 
that.  Surely  the  man  had  not  cut  himself  off  from 
the  hope  of  salvation  by  his  past — by  an  error  or  sin  of 
ignorance.  The  conditions  of  church-membership  are 
faith  and  repentance.  The  sacraments  of  the  church 
are  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.  Shall  we  offer  a 
man  the  pardon  of  his  sin  without  its  sacramental 
seals? — the  glorious  hope  of  endless  fellowship  in 
heaven,  but  not  the  communion  of  saints  on  earth? 
A  precisely  parallel  case  I  had  met  before  in  the  per- 
son of  a  native  doctor  at  Mtang  Awn.    "  What  then," 


232    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

the  reader  will  ask,  "  did  you  do?  "  Why,  in  each  case 
I  just  did  nothing.  I  followed  the  letter  of  the  law, 
and  baptized  neither  one.  But  "  the  letter  killeth ;  the 
spirit  maketh  alive." 

In  due  time  Sen  Utama  and  a  nephew  of  the  Chinese 
were  baptized.  An  interesting  tour  was  made  up  the 
river.  But  the  station  in  Chiengmai  was  feeling  the 
pressure  of  the  growing  work.  In  July,  1880,  the 
church  of  Bethlehem  w^as  organized,  and  there  were 
promising  openings  in  other  districts.  It  was  evident 
that  the  Board  was  not  in  a  condition  to  consider  a 
permanent  station  in  Raheng.  It  would  have  been  an 
interesting  field  for  permanent  occupation;  but  for 
temporary  work,  I  had  been  there  as  long  a  time  as 
we  could  afford  to  spend  in  one  place. 

Just  then  Praya  Sihanat — the  officer  from  Lakawn 
who,  two  years  before,  had  greeted  me  with  "  Eph- 
phatha" — invited  me  to  return  with  him.  His  ears 
were  not  opened,  but  his  heart  was.  He  had  taught  the 
Christian  faith  to  his  wife  and  children  and  a  few 
others,  and  among  these  was  a  fellow  ex-officer.  He 
wished  with  them  to  receive  further  and  fuller  instruc- 
tion, and  to  be  taken  into  the  fellowship  of  the  church. 
Without  waiting  to  ascertain  whether  I  could  go,  he 
was  come  with  a  boat  to  bring  me.  This  seemed 
to  me  the  guiding  hand  of  providence,  and  I  fol- 
lowed it. 

Since  a  single  boat  cannot  ascend  the  rapids  with- 
out the  help  of  another  boat's  crew,  we  made  arrange- 
ments to  join  forces  with  another  party,  and  make 
the  trip  together.  The  night  before  we  were  to  start, 
the  river,  which  had  been  steadily  rising,  became  a  flood 
so  strong  that  my  host  dared  not  face  it  in  his  small 
craft.    Our  companions,  however,  did  not  wait  for  us, 


SCHOOLS— THE  NINE  YEARS'  WANDERER    233 

but  went  on  as  they  had  planned.  We  waited  ten 
days  for  another  party,  as  well  as  for  the  river  to  go 
down.  Imagine  my  sensations,  then,  when,  presently, 
we  learned  that  the  captain  and  owner  of  the  principal 
boat  in  the  flotilla  with  which  we  had  planned  to  make 
the  trip,  was  shot  and  killed,  and  his  boat  was 
plundered !  A  band  of  dacoits  secreted  themselves  be- 
hind a  cluster  of  trees  where  the  channel  runs  close 
to  the  bank,  shot  the  steersman  at  his  oar,  and  then  had 
the  boat  at  their  mercy.  Since  all  foreigners  are  sup- 
posed to  carry  money,  the  attack  may  well  have  been 
intended  for  me.  Earlier  in  that  same  year,  while 
returning  alone  to  Raheng,  I  came  near  being  en- 
trapped by  a  similar  band. 

The  visit  to  Lakawn  was  interesting  and  profitable. 
Ten  days  were  spent  with  the  new  converts.  While 
my  friend,  the  Praya,  had  been  busy,  the  devil  had  not 
been  idle.  One  of  the  princes  had  threatened  to  have 
one  of  his  head  men  flogged  if  he  joined  the  Christians. 
But  before  we  left,  a  church  was  organized,  with  Praya 
Sihanat  as  elder. 

From  Lakawn  I  took  elephants  to  Chiengmai,  and 
spent  the  last  Sunday  of  my  trip  with  Nan  Inta  and 
the  newly  organized  church  of  Bethlehem,  named  after 
Mr.  Wilson's  old  church  in  Pennsylvania.  Nan  Inta 
was  waiting  for  me  where  the  road  to  his  village  turned 
off  from  the  main  route.  On  Christmas  day  following 
this,  Mr.  Wilson,  Dr.  Cheek,  and  Miss  Cole  organized 
yet  another  church  at  Me  Dawk  Deng,  where  Nan  Su- 
wan  had  been  doing  faithful  work.  In  both  these  cases 
the  persecution  for  supposed  witchcraft  had  furnished 
a  good  nucleus  for  the  church,  which  thereafter  the 
Edict  of  Toleration  protected  from  expulsion. 

All  the  departments  of  our  work,  medical,  educa- 


234   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

tional,  evangelistic,  were  prospering.  Nan  Ta,  the 
long  time  wanderer,  was  becoming  a  power  second  only 
to  Nan  Inta,  and  destined  ultimately  to  surpass  him. 
Like  him,  he  was  a  man  of  fine  address  and  bearing, 
and  a  good  Buddhist  scholar ;  but  he  was  much  younger. 
Being,  moreover,  the  son  of  a  Praya — the  highest  grade 
of  Lao  oflScers — he  had  an  influence  with  the  nobility 
such  as  no  other  of  our  Christians  had.  In  the  church 
he  began  to  show  a  capacity  and  power  such  as  prob- 
ably no  other  person  has  exercised. 

Meanwhile  Mr.  Wilson  was  working  on  plans  for  a 
building  for  the  Girls'  High  School.  Already  the 
school  numbered  forty-two  pupils,  but  with  no  place 
in  which  to  teach  them  save  the  teacher's  house.  The 
season  had  been  very  hard  on  Miss  Campbell's  health. 
She  was  very  young,  and  had  come  direct  to  Chieng- 
mai  from  the  seminary  without  any  period  of  rest,  and 
with  a  constitution  by  no  means  robust.  The  mission 
voted  her  a  trip  to  Bangkok  for  rest.  Little  did  we 
think  when  we  bade  her  good-bye  that  we  should  see 
her  face  no  more. 

Financially  for  me  the  year  had  been  the  hardest 
in  my  life.  With  all  the  economy  we  could  use — and 
we  did  not  spend  a  useless  penny — it  seemed  impossible 
for  me  to  keep  my  family  going.  When  we  left  Chieng- 
mai  we  had  overdrawn  our  salary,  and  the  amount  had 
to  be  made  up  that  year.  This  condition  was  one  of 
the  straws  that  helped  to  determine  me  to  stop  over 
in  Raheng.  I  could  live  more  cheaply  there;  in  fact, 
could  hardly  spend  money  there  if  I  wished  to.  In 
only  one  matter  had  I  been  greatly  disappointed  in 
Raheng;  I  hoped  to  be  in  somewhat  closer  communica- 
tion with  my  family,  about  whom  I  still  felt  some 
anxiety.     I  was,  indeed,  nearer  them  in  space,  but  it 


SCHOOLS— THE  NINE  YEARS'  WANDERER    235 

proved  much  further  in  time.  The  largest  mail  of  the 
year  passed  on  up  to  Chiengmai,  and  was  sent  back, 
reaching  Raheng  just  after  I  had  left  the  place.  It 
finally  reached  me  in  Chiengmai  on  the  last  day  of  the 
year  1880 ! 


XXI 

SECOND  FURLOUGH 

MY  health  had  been  snch  that  I  hoped  I  might 
safely  forego  my  furlough,  and  have  my  wife 
and  our  youngest  child  return  to  Chiengmai 
alone.  My  wife,  after  finding  a  home  for  a  while  with 
her  brother,  Professor  Bradley,  in  Oakland,  had  gone 
on  in  the  spring  to  North  Carolina.  But  she  was  not 
gaining  much  in  strength,  and  plainly  required  another 
year.  My  own  health  was  not  so  good  as  it  was  at 
the  beginning  of  the  year.  Certain  symptoms  gave  me 
anxiety,  and  decided  me  to  delay  my  own  furlough 
no  longer.  If  it  was  to  be  taken  at  all,  the  sooner  the 
better.  So  on  March  12th,  1881,  I  started  for  the 
United  States.  The  furlough  which  was  now  begin- 
ning ended  twenty-three  years  of  service  in  the  general 
field  of  Siam,  and  fourteen  years  spent  among  the  Lao. 
I  had  proceeded  down  the  river  but  a  few  days,  when 
a  passing  boat  brought  the  astounding  intelligence  of 
the  tragic  death  of  our  esteemed  and  youngest  co- 
labourer.  Miss  Mary  Carajibell.  What  words  can  ex- 
press the  shock  I  received !  The  news  was  confirmed 
a  few  days  later  by  Dr.  Cheek,  whom  I  met  on  the 
river.  At  this  distance  it  is  unnecessary  to  enlarge 
on  the  particulars  of  the  sad  catastrophe.  Indeed,  it 
was  all  so  sudden  that  there  were  few  particulars  to 
relate.  Dr.  Cheek  had  gone  down  to  Bangkok  on 
business  soon  after  Miss  Campbell  left  us,  and  now  was 
.     236 


SECOND  FURLOUGH  237 

returning  with  Miss  Campbell  under  his  escort.  At 
the  close  of  a  hot  day's  run,  the  boats  lay  moored  by 
a  sand-bar  for  the  night.  They  had  had  their  evening 
meal  and  worship  together.  Dr.  Cheek  had  taken  his 
bath  in  the  river,  had  examined  the  bar,  and  notified 
Miss  Campbell  how  far  it  was  safe  to  venture  in 
taking  hers.  But  somehow  she  ventured  out  too  far 
— to  a  depth  from  which  only  angelic  arms  could  re- 
ceive her  to  a  shore  where  there  is  no  more  death. 

The  brave  effort  of  her  Lao  maid,  Kam  Tip,  and  Dr. 
Cheek's  unsuccessful  search  till  long  after  life  must 
have  been  extinct,  were  well  known  at  the  time.  She 
had  but  just  come  to  her  chosen  field  of  work,  in  the 
bloom  of  youth  and  in  the  full  ardour  of  her  first  con- 
secration, little  thinking  that  her  work  was  to  be  so 
soon  and  so  sadly  closed.  Her  last  written  words  to 
a  friend,  with  the  ink  on  them  scarcely  dry  before  her 
death,  were :  "  But  I  am  not  alone,  for  I  have  found  in 
my  dear  Lao  girls,  Buk  and  Kam  Tip,  and  in  Nan  Ta, 
my  teacher,  more  company  than  I  ever  expected.  I 
wish  I  could  lend  them  to  you  long  enough  for  you  to 
know  them." 

It  will  be  evident  to  all  that  in  1881  the  working 
force  of  the  mission  was  entirely  inadequate  for  oc- 
cupying and  cultivating  the  broad  and  inviting  field, 
now  opened  to  us  as  never  before.  The  medical  work, 
constantly  enlarging,  occupied  the  physician's  whole 
time.  Mr.  Wilson's  physical  condition,  never  very 
strong,  confined  his  labours  to  the  station  and  its 
immediate  vicinity.  The  attention  which  these  alone 
required  would  more  than  fill  one  man's  time.  The 
death  of  Miss  Campbell  made  imperative  an  associate 
for  Miss  Cole.     So,  even  if  the  trip   to   the  United 


238    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

States  had  not  been  rendered  imperative  by  considera- 
tions of  my  own  health,  the  best  interests  of  the  work 
itself  seemed  to  demand  that  some  one  should  go  to 
seek  reinforcement  by  direct  and  personal  appeal  to 
the  church  at  home. 

As  for  Mrs.  McGilvary,  after  spending  the  spring 
of  1880  with  her  brother  in  Oakland,  California,  she 
came  on  with  our  younger  son  to  Statesville,  North 
Carolina,  where  she  could  be  with  our  daughters,  and 
not  far  from  our  elder  son  in  Davidson  College. 

On  my  arrival  in  New  York,  I  hastened  on  at  once 
to  North  Carolina,  where  I  spent  the  summer  with 
my  family  and  friends,  lecturing  from  time  to  time  in 
the  churches.  The  fall  of  this  year  I  spent  in  Texas 
and  Arkansas,  visiting  relatives  and  friends  w^ho  had 
migrated  thither  from  the  family  nest  in  North  Caro- 
lina. In  Texas  I  attended  the  meeting  of  the  South- 
ern Synod,  and  both  there  and  elsewhere  I  found  many 
opportunities  for  presenting  the  cause  of  foreign  mis- 
sions; and  everywhere  I  encountered  warm  reception 
and  eager  interest  in  the  work  among  the  Lao.  In  the 
winter  I  came  north  to  visit  the  Theological  Sem- 
inaries, and  to  enlist  men  for  the  Lao  mission.  On 
my  way  I  stopped  in  Oxford,  Ohio,  where  I  met  Miss 
Lizzie  Westervelt  (afterward  Mrs.  Stanley  K. 
Phraner),  then  in  her  senior  year  in  Miss  Peabody's 
Seminary,  and  preparing  for  missionary  work  among 
the  Lao,  upon  which  she  entered  in  the  following  year. 
This  was  the  school  which  had  given  us  Miss  Mary 
Campbell  and  Miss  Edna  Cole  a  few  years  before. 

While  waiting  for  the  Theological  Seminaries  to  re- 
open after  the  Christmas  recess,  I  was  the  guest  of 
my  wife's  cousins  at  Castleton  Corners,  Staten  Island. 
There  I  had  the  very  pleasant  experience  of  observing 


SECOND  FURLOUGH  239 

"  Watch  Night "  with  the  Moravian  Church,  of  which 
my  friends  were  members.  They  called  on  the  Lao 
missionary  for  an  account  of  his  experience  in  the  field. 
In  that,  of  course,  there  was  nothing  remarkable.  But 
near  the  close  of  the  next  year,  when  writing  to  the 
family,  I  alluded  to  the  pleasant  memory  of  Watch 
Night  and  sent  my  gi'eetings  to  the  church  with  a  re- 
quest to  be  remembered  in  their  i^rayers.  Instead  of 
giving  my  message  verbally,  my  friends  read  the  letter 
itself,  and  it  seemed  to  be  appreciated.  The  result  was 
that  the  Lao  letter  came  to  be  looked  for  regularly  as  a 
part  of  the  watch  service,  and  one  was  sent  to  them 
every  year — if  I  were  on  the  field — for  seventeen  years. 
It  was  a  comfort  to  know  that  special  prayer  was  al- 
ways offered  for  us  by  that  great  missionary  church 
as  the  old  year  was  dying,  and  the  new  year  was  com- 
ing in. 

The  Professors  at  Princeton,  Union,  and  Allegheny 
all  gave  their  cordial  endorsement  and  aid  to  me  in 
my  efforts  to  secure  men.  "  We  want  you  to  get  our 
best  men,"  they  said,  and  the  Lord  gave  them  to  us. 
From  Princeton  came  Chalmers  Martin  of  the  senior 
class.  He  had  been  chosen,  however,  for  the  Hebrew 
Fellowship,  and  was,  therefore,  delayed  a  year  before 
entering  upon  his  missionary  work.  Though  his  career 
in  the  Lao  field  was  a  short  one,  he  left  a  lasting 
mark  there,  as  we  shall  see.  Allegheny  gave  us  Rev. 
S.  C.  Peoples,  M.D.,  and  his  brother-in-law.  Rev.  J.  H. 
Hearst.  Dr.  Peoples'  bow  still  abides  in  strength. 
His  double  preparation  both  as  a  minister  and  as  a 
physician,  gave  him  unusual  equipment  for  the  work 
he  has  accomplished.  Mr,  Hearst,  however,  soon  suc- 
cumbed to  the  Chiengmai  climate. 

Union  gave  us   that   consecrated   young  man,   Mc- 


240   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

Laren,  who  chose  the  great  city  of  Bangkok — a  fitting 
field  for  him,  since  his  broad  sympathies  were  bounded 
by  no  one  race  or  people.  His  career  also  was  cut 
short  within  a  few  months  by  cholera,  contracted  while 
ministering  to  dying  seamen  in  the  harbour  during  a 
severe  epidemic  of  the  disease. 

The  Northwestern  Woman's  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions was  then,  as  it  has  been  since,  a  great  centre  of 
missionary  enthusiasm.  It  had  sent  out  Miss  Cole  and 
Miss  Campbell;  and  now  the  sudden  death  of  the  lat- 
ter had  caused  its  interest  and  that  of  the  Chicago 
churches  to  concentrate  upon  the  Lao  mission.  It  was 
to  this  combination  of  circumstances  that  I  was  in- 
debted for  an  invitation  to  attend  its  Annual  Meeting 
in  Minneapolis,  and  to  speak  there.  Then  the  appoint- 
ment of  Dr.  L.  E.  Wishard's  daughter  (afterwards  Mrs. 
Dr.  Fulton  of  Canton,  China),  and  that  of  Miss  Sadie 
Wirt  (Mrs.  Dr.  S.  C.  Peoples),  from  his  church  in 
Chicago,  gave  me  a  pleasant  visit  in  the  Doctor's  fam- 
ily both  as  I  went  up  to  Minneapolis  and  as  I  re- 
turned. On  a  Sunday  at  Lake  Forest,  between  the 
Sunday  School,  the  University,  the  Ladies'  Seminary, 
and  the  church,  the  Lao  Mission  had  four  hearings. 
At  Minneapolis  we  learned  that  Miss  Warner  from  the 
Northwestern  Woman's  Board,  and  Miss  Griffin  from 
the  Southwestern,  were  also  appointed  to  our  mission, 
and  Miss  Linnell  to  Lower  Siam.  This  completed  our 
number,  the  largest  reinforcement  the  mission  has  ever 
received  at  one  time. 

After  the  adjournment  of  the  Northwestern  Board, 
a  Sunday  was  spent  with  the  family  and  the  church  of 
Miss  Mary  Campbell.  After  that,  appointments  with 
other  churches  filled  up  my  time  till  the  meeting  of  the 
General  Assembly  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  which  I  at- 


SECOND  FURLOUGH  241 

tended,  though  not  as  a  delegate.  Our  Presbytery  of 
North  Laos  had  not  then  been  organized,  and  Dr.  E.  P. 
Dunlap  was  the  representative  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Siam.  At  that  meeting  it  seemed  to  me  that  a  golden 
opportunity  was  missed  for  drawing  together  in  a 
closer  union  the  Northern  and  the  Southern  branches 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  The  outcome  threw  the 
Southern  church,  much  more  weakened  by  the  war 
than  the  Northern,  on  its  own  resources.  In  propor- 
tion to  its  financial  strength,  it  has  developed  into  one 
of  the  strongest  missionary  churches  in  the  land,  both 
as  regards  the  home  work  and  the  foreign.  Meantime, 
with  the  growth  of  the  country  generally,  the  Northern 
Assembly  is  becoming  too  unwieldy  a  body  for  its  best 
efficiency.  I  believe  the  time  will  come  when  there 
will  be  three  Assemblies  rather  than  one,  with  a 
triennial  Assembly  of  all  on  a  basis  of  representation 
agreed  upon  by  the  three — somewhat  after  the  plan 
of  the  Methodist  and  the  Episcopal  churches;  or,  more 
nearly  still,  after  the  plan  of  the  Pan-Presbyterian 
Council. 

In  duties  and  pleasures  such  as  have  just  been  de- 
scribed, the  time  slipped  by  till  it  was  the  6th  of 
June,  1882,  before  I  again  reached  my  family  in  States- 
ville.  We  were  to  start  Lao-ward  about  the  middle  of 
July.  My  furlough  ended  with  a  visit  to  my  old  charge 
at  Union,  to  attend  the  dedication  of  a  new  church 
there,  and  to  see  my  old  friends  once  more. 

We  began  to  gather  up  our  scattered  forces  at  Chi- 
cago, where  the  Fifth  Church  gave  to  its  pastor's 
daughter,  and  to  the  rest  of  us  there  present,  a  hearty 
farewell.  The  others  of  our  large  party  joined  us  at 
different  points  on  our  route  across  the  continent.  Dr. 
Eugene  P.  Dunlap  and  his  family,  also  returning  from 


242   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

furlough,  were  the  very  last  to  join  us,  just  in  time  to 
sail  with  us  from  San  Francisco. 

A  missionary's  vacation  is  very  delightful,  but  the 
last  day  of  it — the  day  that  brings  him  bacli  to  his 
home  and  his  work — is  the  best  of  it  all.  The  small 
Bangkok  steamers  of  those  days  could  not  furnish  ac- 
commodation for  our  whole  party  at  once.  Some  of 
us  were,  therefore,  compelled  to  lie  over  at  Canton — 
a  circumstance  which  changed  the  ultimate  location  of 
one  of  our  young  ladies  to  the  Canton  mission,  just  as 
a  previous  successor  to  Miss  Campbell  had  in  a  sim- 
ilar manner  been  changed  to  another  station  in  China. 
But  where  there  are  young  folks,  such  accidents  will 
happen. 

At  Bangkok  our  United  States  Consul,  General 
Partridge,  arranged  for  us  an  audience  with  the  King. 
His  Majesty  gave  us  a  cordial  reception,  expressing  his 
gratification  at  seeing  so  many  American  missionaries 
coming  to  his  country;  since  he  knew  that  they  came 
to  instruct  his  people,  and  to  make  them  more  in- 
telligent and  better  citizens. 

Reinforcements  surely  had  not  come  too  soon.  Dr. 
Wilson,  Mrs.  Cheek,  and  Miss  Cole  were  the  only  mis- 
sionaries on  the  field  when  we  returned ;  for  Dr.  Cheek 
was  absent  on  business.  It  was  now  four  years  since 
the  proclamation  of  religious  toleration;  and  for  the 
first  time  was  there  prospect  of  workers  enough  to  make 
any  use  of  the  advantages  it  offered. 

But  had  we  relied  too  much  on  human  aid?  Were 
we  too  much  elated  in  view  of  our  present  numbers, 
with  Mr.  Martin  to  follow  the  next  year?  After  a 
short  stay  in  Bangkok,  we  reached  Chiengmai  in  the 
midst  of  one  of  those  violent  epidemics  of  fever  by 
which  the  Lao  country  was  then,  perhaps,  more  fre- 


CHULALONGKORN, 
KING    OF    SIAM,    1872-1910 


SECOND  FURLOUGH  243 

quently  visited  than  it  is  now.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hearst 
and  Miss  Warner  were  soon  prostrated  with  the  dis- 
ease, and  at  one  time,  out  of  the  whole  mission,  scarcely 
enough  were  left  to  care  for  the  sick.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hearst  soon  decided  to  give  up  the  struggle  and  with- 
draw from  the  field.  Miss  Warner  continued  longer, 
but  ultimately  she,  too,  retired  with  broken  health. 
As  already  stated,  Mr.  McLaren  died  of  cholera  after 
a  few  hours'  sickness  in  Bangkok,  God  was  teaching 
us  that  it  is  "  not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but  by  My 
Spirit,  saith  Jehovah." 

Soon  other  complications  arose.  Smallpox  was 
brought  by  pupils  into  the  Girls'  School,  and,  to  our 
consternation.  Miss  Griffin  fell  a  victim.  She  had  been 
vaccinated  in  her  childhood,  but  was  not  revaccinated 
on  leaving  home — which  is  always  a  wise  precaution 
for  those  expecting  to  travel  or  to  live  in  the  East. 
Proper  measures  prevented  further  spread  of  the  dis- 
ease; and  though  our  patient  had  a  rather  hard  at- 
tack, yet  she  made  good  recovery. 

During  our  absence,  the  church  had  sustained  a  great 
loss  in  the  death  of  Nan  Inta,  our  first  convert  and  as- 
sistant. But  his  works  do  follow  him,  and  his  life 
will  long  continue  to  be  a  precious  legacy  to  the  Lao 
church.  He  lived,  however,  until  others  were  ready  to 
take  his  place.  Nan  Si  Wichai,  who  long  had  been 
Dr.  Cheek's  teacher,  was  a  strong  character,  and  he  was 
ordained  as  an  elder.  Nan  Ta,  also,  who  had  wandered 
so  far  and  so  long  after  the  persecution,  was  growing 
to  be  a  power  in  the  church,  and  afterwards  had  the 
honour  of  becoming  the  first  ordained  minister  among 
the  Lao. 


XXII 
A  SURVEYING  EXPEDITION 

ON  the  26th  of  February,  1884,  an  East  Indian 
appeared  on  our  veranda  with  an  unexpected 
note  from  my  old  guest  and  friend.  Rev.  Dr.  J. 
N.  Gushing  of  the  American  Baptist  Shan  Mission. 
The  surprise  and  pleasure  of  a  visit  from  him  and  Mrs. 
Gushing  in  the  early  and  lonesome  days  of  the  mission 
have  already  been  referred  to.  The  note  told  us  that 
he  was  now  connected,  as  interpreter,  with  a  surveying 
expedition  under  Holt  S.  Hallett,  Esq.,  and  that  the 
party  would  arrive  in  Ghiengmai  on  the  following  day. 
The  railroad  for  which  Mr.  Hallett  was  surveying  a 
route  was  part  of  a  scheme,  then  on  foot,  to  build  a 
road  from  Maulmein  to  Ghiengmai,  there  to  connect 
with  a  road  from  Bangkok,  through  the  Lao  country, 
to  Ghieng  Sen,  and,  if  successful,  to  be  continued  up 
to  Yunnan,  Ghina.  For  some  reason  the  scheme  was 
not  carried  out,  but  the  prospect  of  any  road  to  connect 
our  isolated  field  with  the  outside  world  was  attractive 
to  us. 

The  party  arrived  the  next  day;  and  since  it  would 
be  very  inconvenient  for  Mr.  Hallett  to  be  separated 
from  Dr.  Gushing,  we  found  room  in  our  house  for 
Mr.  Hallett  also,  and  had  a  fine  visit  with  both.  They 
soon  began  to  tempt  me  to  join  their  expedition.^  All 
expenses  were  to  be  paid.  They  were  not  to  travel  on 
Sunday.  Their  intended  route,  through  the  towns  and 
244 


A  SURVEYING  EXPEDITION  245 

villages  on  the  way  to  Cliieng  Rai  and  Chieng  Sen,  and 
southward  again  to  Lakawn,  was  over  ground  I  was 
anxious  to  travel  once  more.  The  trip  would  give  me 
a  long  and  profitable  visit  with  my  friend,  Dr.  Gushing. 
But,  besides  all  personal  considerations,  it  seemed 
right  to  give  a  little  aid  to  an  enterprise  that  would 
redound  to  the  good  of  the  country. 

Our  Ghiengmai  Prince,  then  quite  old,  was  most  in- 
credulous as  to  the  possibilities  of  the  wonderful  rail- 
road. In  his  book,  A  Thousand  Miles  on  an  Elephant 
in  tlie  Shan  States,  Mr.  Hallett  has  given  an  amusing 
account  of  his  first  interview  with  the  Prince.  He  had 
great  difficulty  in  understanding  how  a  train  could 
move  faster  than  ponies,  or  how  it  could  move  at  all 
without  being  drawn  by  some  animal.  And  how  could 
it  ascend  the  hills?  For  it  would  surely  slide  down 
unless  it  were  pulled  up.  "  I  explained  to  him  that  I 
had  made  three  railways  in  England,  therefore  he 
might  rely  upon  what  I  had  said.  Railways  were 
made  in  various  parts  of  the  world  over  much  more 
difficult  hills  than  those  lying  between  Zimme  (Ghieng- 
mai) and  Maulmein.  ...  He  seemed  quite  stupefied 
by  the  revelation.  It  might  be  so — it  must  be  so,  as  I 
had  seen  it;  but  he  could  not  understand  how  it  could 
be.  He  was  very  old;  he  could  not  live  much  longer. 
He  hoped  we  would  be  quick  in  setting  about  and  con- 
structing the  line,  as  otherwise  he  would  not  have  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  it." 

We  started  at  last  on  March  3d,  1884,  with  four 
large  riding  elephants,  four  pack-elephants,  and  nu- 
merous carriers,  making  forty-one  persons  in  all.  The 
passport  from  the  Siamese  government,  supplemented 
by  one  from  the  acting  Gommissioner,  and  the  presence 
with  us  of  a  Lao  official  of  some  rank,  sent  to  see  that 


24G  AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

the  orders  were  carried  out,  secured  for  us  men  and 
elephants  and  all  necessary  equipments,  so  far  as  the 
country  could  furnish  them.  The  local  officials  were 
usually  very  kind,  and  as  prompt  as  native  officials 
ever  were  in  those  days.  Mr.  Hallett  was  very  con- 
siderate in  arranging  to  stop  for  the  night  and  on 
Sundays  near  large  villages  and  towns,  where  a  little 
missionary  work  could  be  done.  In  the  cities  where 
there  were  Christians,  we  held  regular  services  on 
Sundays.  On  these  occasions  our  chief  gave  the  in- 
fluence of  his  presence,  though,  of  course,  he  could 
not  understand  what  was  said. 

On  this  trip  we  had  a  good  opportunity  for  studying 
the  characteristics  of  the  elephant.  He  is  very  con- 
scious of  his  dignity,  and  must  be  treated  with  the 
respect  due  to  a  king,  and  not  with  the  familiarity  of 
an  equal.  Yet  one  is  amused  at  his  timidity.  I  my- 
self have  seen  one  ready  to  stampede  if  a  squirrel  or 
a  big  rat  ran  across  the  road  in  front  of  him.  Mr. 
Hallett  says :  "  Elephants,  though  immense  in  size,  are 
very  timid,  and  easily  startled.  We  had  to  take  them 
off  the  path  and  turn  their  heads  away  into  the 
jungles,  whenever  we  heard  the  tinkling  bells  of  an  ap- 
proaching caravan;  and  they  will  turn  tail  and  run  at 
the  sight  of  an  audacious  little  dog  that  thinks  fit  to 
bark  at  them." 

On  some  of  the  stages  of  our  march,  when  we  had  a 
mother-elephant  in  our  company,  we  had  the  mis- 
chievous youngster  along.  Such  are  always  an  un- 
ceasing source  of  amusement.  One  of  these  seemed  to 
have  a  special  spite  against  Mr.  Hallett's  Madras  boy, 
either  because  of  his  peculiar  dress,  or  for  some  lib- 
erty he  had  taken  with  him.  Mr.  Hallett  writes :  "  The 
little  elephant  was  taking  every  chance  he  could  get 


A  SURVEYING  EXPEDITION  247 

to  hustle  the  men  over  as  they  forded  the  streams,  and 
to  souse  them  with  water  from  his  trunk.  Portow, 
who  had  an  overweening  opinion  of  his  own  dignity, 
and  was  bent  on  setting  up  as  an  oracle,  was,  unfor- 
tunately, the  butt  of  the  boys,  but  was  likewise  the 
sport  of  the  baby-elephant.  Many  a  time  have  I  seen 
him  hustled  over  by  the  youngster,  who  seemed  to 
have  picked  him  out  as  his  playmate.  Slyly  and  softly 
stealing  up  behind,  he  would  suddenly  increase  his 
pace,  and,  with  a  quick  shuffle  or  a  sudden  lurch, 
shoulder  him  sprawling  to  the  ground.  Portow,  dur- 
ing this  part  of  the  journey,  behaved  like  a  hunted  man, 
ever  looking  behind  to  see  whether  the  dreadful  infant 
was  behind." 

My  friend,  Dr.  Gushing,  who  had  been  put  in  charge 
of  the  train,  and  our  prince-guide,  both  believed  in  the 
oriental  idea  of  making  an  impression  by  as  imposing 
a  pageant  as  possible.  On  nearing  Ghieng  Rai,  they 
marshalled  us  in  procession,  so  that  we  entered  the 
city  in  state,  with  ten  armed  men  leading  the  way. 
Possibly  it  had  its  desired  effect,  for  a  warm  welcome 
was  given  us,  and  every  aid  was  granted. 

In  the  eleven  years  since  my  first  visit  there  with 
Dr.  Vrooman,  the  city  had  grown  in  size.  The  fertil- 
ity of  its  soil  and  the  large  extent  of  its  arable  land 
were  sure  to  attract  still  larger  population  from  the 
south.  In  addition  to  these  natural  advantages,  it  had 
then  another  strong  claim  for  a  mission  station.  While 
all  the  other  Lao  states,  through  their  rulers,  submit- 
ted to  the  introduction  of  Christianity  rather  than  wel- 
comed it,  Ghieng  Rai  and  Ghieng  Sen  were  exceptions. 
The  rulers  of  both  desired  the  presence  of  the  mission- 
aries. 

The  Sunday  spent  there  was  a  welcome  day  of  rest. 


248  AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

The  week  had  been  a  strenuous  one.  In  the  morning 
we  held  a  public  service — the  first  ever  held  there. 
Mr.  Hallett  and  our  prince-guide  attended,  and  curi- 
osity collected  quite  a  congregation.  After  tiflSn,  Dr. 
Gushing  and  I  spent  several  hours — the  first  quiet  ones 
we  had  had — reading  in  the  monastery  grounds  at  the 
great  bend  of  the  river. 

That  evening  I  met  the  governor  at  home  and,  save 
for  the  presence  of  his  wife,  alone.  His  intelligent 
enquiries  as  to  the  truths  and  teachings  of  our  religion 
showed  that  he  had  already  thought  much  on  the 
subject.  Krii  Nan  Ta  and  he  were  not  very  distant 
relatives,  and  had  had  many  conversations  on  the  sub- 
ject. His  regard  for  our  mission  and  his  earnest 
desire  for  a  mission  station,  as  well  as  the  protection 
he  afterwards  gave  the  Ghristians  when  they  were 
wronged,  had,  I  believe,  a  deeper  foundation  than  an 
intellectual  interest,  or  even  a  personal  friendship 
for  us. 

Our  next  stage  was  Chieng  Sen.  There  Nan  Suwan, 
our  ruling  elder,  and  his  family  gave  us  a  warm  wel- 
come. He  met  us  at  the  city  gate,  hardly  hoping  there 
would  be  a  missionary  in  the  expedition,  which,  rumour 
told  him,  was  coming.  His  house  stood  on  the  bank  of 
the  river,  just  where  Dr.  Vrooman  and  I  landed  thir- 
teen years  before,  when  the  only  occupants  were  wild 
beasts.  The  new  settlers  had  been  so  busy  providing 
housing  and  sustenance  for  themselves,  that  only  one 
monastery  building  had  been  roofed,  and  only  a  por- 
tion of  its  images  stored  under  shelter.  Our  old 
friend  the  governor  had  only  a  bamboo  residence.  Nan 
Suwan  had  made  friends  by  the  help  of  the  quinine 
with  which  he  had  been  supplied,  and  he  had  the  best 
house  in  the  city.     It  served,  also,  as  a  chapel,  in 


A  SURVEYING  EXPEDITION  249 

which,  with  grateful  hearts,  we  worshipped  on 
Sunday. 

The  governor  was  even  more  insistent  in  his  demand 
for  a  mission  station  than  the  governor  of  Chieng  Rai 
had  been.  He  even  offered  to  send  down  elephants  to 
move  us  up,  if  we  would  come.  His  was  not  the  deep 
religious  nature  of  the  Chieng  Rai  governor.  He  pos- 
sibly believed  that  in  their  sphere  all  religions  were 
alike  good.  He  urged,  as  he  had  done  before,  that  we 
might  even  then  forestall  the  monasteries  and  pre- 
occupy the  field.  Nothing  would  have  pleased  me 
more,  had  it  been  possible,  than  to  accept  the  cordial 
invitation.  It  was  true,  as  the  governor  said,  "  The 
people  must  and  will  have  some  religion.  If  you  do 
not  give  them  Christianity,  they  must  take  Buddhism." 
It  was  only  necessity  that  could  resist  such  a  plea. 
But  half  a  loaf  is  better  than  no  bread.  If  we  were 
not  ready  to  start  a  regular  station  in  Chieng  Sen,  we 
must  somehow  work  the  field  as  best  we  could.  That 
consideration  determined  my  long  tours  in  the  dry  sea- 
sons of  the  years  that  followed. 

Up  to  this  time  I  had  never  been  properly  equipped 
and  outfitted  for  such  tours.  One  outcome  of  this  trip 
was  a  great  improvement  in  my  means  of  transporta- 
tion for  the  future.  An  application  made  long  before 
this  to  the  Board  for  an  elephant,  had  been  received  as 
a  huge  joke.  But  now  it  happened  that  in  the  assign- 
ment of  elephants  for  our  upward  trip,  a  large  sadaw — 
a  male  without  tusks — had  fallen  to  me.  He  proved  to 
be  an  exceptionally  fine  beast  belonging  to  an  estate 
about  to  be  divided.  He  must  be  sold,  and  was  held  at 
a  very  cheap  figure.  With  the  help  of  a  contribution  by 
Mr.  Hallett,  and  the  hire  paid  for  its  use,  I  was  able  to 
purchase  it.     The  deputy  governor  gave  me  a  good  how- 


250  AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

dah  for  it.  I  was  as  proud  of  my  new  acquisition  as 
ever  a  boy  was  of  a  new  toy.  But  since  few  elephants 
will  travel  well  alone,  I  now  needed  a  mate  for  him. 
Before  long  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  get  a  cheap  and 
equally  good  female.  I  was  then  prepared  for  my  long 
tours.  I  could  cross  streams  in  safety,  and  be  pro- 
tected from  rain,  even  if  my  journey  were  prolonged  be- 
yond the  limits  of  the  dry  season. 

On  our  return  journey,  in  Muang  Payao,  we  came  in 
contact  with  the  worst  epidemic  of  smallpox  that  I 
have  ever  seen.  We  met  it  at  every  turn  in  the  street. 
With  difficulty  could  we  keep  parents  with  children,  all 
broken  out  with  the  disease,  in  their  arms,  from  crowd- 
ing round  us  in  our  sala.  We  had  hardly  taken  our 
seats  on  the  rugs  spread  for  us  at  the  governor's  of- 
ficial reception  of  Mr.  Hallett,  when  we  discovered 
cases  of  smallpox  all  about  us.  Dr.  Gushing  was 
nervously  afraid  of  it,  and  retired.  I  had  to  remain 
an  hour  as  interpreter.  Imagine  our  consternation  on 
reaching  the  next  station  to  find  that  the  Doctor 
showed  unmistakable  signs  of  having  contracted  the 
dreadful  disease,  although  he  had  been  vaccinated  in 
his  youth.  What  a  discovery  to  be  made  on  a  jour- 
ney, and  four  days  from  home !  On  consultation  it  was 
thought  best  to  hasten  on  to  Chiengmai,  a  thing  which 
our  mode  of  travel  made  possible.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chal- 
mers Martin  had  arrived  during  our  absence,  and  had 
taken  up  their  quarters  in  our  house.  It  was,  there- 
fore, impossible  to  take  our  sick  friend  in.  We  did 
the  next  best  thing,  and  gave  him  a  new  bamboo  house 
on  our  hospital  lot,  where  Dr.  Peoples  carefully 
watched  over  him  till  he  made  a  rapid  recovery,  and 
was  able  to  return  home  in  a  boat  as  far  as  Bangkok, 
and  thence  by  sea  via  Singapore.     It  was  a  sad  close, 


A  SURVEYING  EXPEDITION  251 

however,  to  our  pleasant  visit  together,   and  to  our 
otherwise  interesting  and  profitable  tour. 

I  returned  from  Chieng  Sen,  as  we  have  seen,  with 
an  elephant  of  my  own.  On  reaching  home  I  found 
awaiting  me  the  best  pony  I  ever  had.  It  was  sent 
to  me  as  a  present  from  the  governor  of  Me  Hawng 
Sawn,  near  the  Salwin  River.  I  had  never  been  to  Me 
Hawng  Sawn,  and  had  but  a  very  limited  acquaintance 
with  the  governor.  According  to  my  uniform  custom 
in  those  days,  on  his  official  visits  to  Chiengmai,  I  had 
twice  called  upon  him  as  the  governor  of  a  neighbour- 
ing province.  On  both  occasions  we  had  conversation 
on  the  different  merits  of  the  two  religions.  On  one 
of  these  visits  he  had  brought  down  some  ponies  to  sell, 
and  on  my  asking  the  price  of  one  he  said,  "  I  am 
very  sorry  that  I  have  sold  all  my  gentle  ones.  There 
is  only  one  left.  If  you  can  use  him,  I  shall  be  glad 
to  give  him  to  you."  It  is  a  McGilvary  trait  not  to 
be  timid  about  horses,  and  I  said,  "  I  will  try  him." 
So  the  pony  was  sent  down  to  my  house ;  but  he  proved 
rather  too  much  for  my  horsemanship.  The  first  time 
I  mounted  him,  he  threw  me  and  sprained  my  wrist. 
It  was  the  unanimous  vote  of  the  family  that  he  be 
returned  with  thanks.  The  governor  sent  back  word 
that  he  was  very  sorry;  but  never  mind;  when  he 
reached  home  he  would  see  to  it  that  I  had  a  good 
pony — a  message  which,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  I  took  as  a 
good  oriental  compliment.  I  had  even  forgotten  all 
about  the  matter,  when,  on  my  return  from  this  trip, 
I  found  the  pony  in  my  stable.  He  was  a  most 
valuable  and  timely  present. 

But  we  are  not  quite  done  with  Mr.  Hallett's  sur- 
vey.    He  made  a  short  excursion   without  an   inter- 


252    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

preter  to  the  hot  springs.  But  his  final  trip  was  to  be 
to  M<iang  Fang,  six  days  to  the  north  and  west  of  the 
route  previously  taken,  and  distant  some  eighty-three 
miles  from  Chiengmai.  His  object  was  to  see  if  there 
were  not  an  easier  route  to  Chieng  Rai  down  the  val- 
leys of  the  Me  Fang  and  the  Me  Kok.  The  trip 
strongly  appealed  both  to  Mr,  Martin  and  to  me,  and 
we  gladly  accepted  Mr.  Hallett's  invitation  to  accom- 
pany him. 

Muang  Fang  was  an  ancient  city  captured  and  de- 
stroyed by  the  Burmese  in  1717;  so  that  it  lay  in 
ruins  nearly  two  hundred  years  before  it  was  repeopled. 
Besides  Muang  Fang,  we  visited,  either  in  going  or  re- 
turning, four  other  cities — Chieng  Dao,  Muang  Ngai, 
Mfiang  Pao,  and  Muang  Ken.  Not  far  to  the  south  of 
Muang  Fang  we  visited  the  cave  of  Top  Tao,  noted  in 
the  Buddhist  legends  of  Northern  Siam.  Mr.  Hallett 
thus  describes  our  experiences  there : 

"  Inside  was  a  lofty  cavern  lighted  by  a  natural  skylight. 
On  a  raised  platform  in  the  cave  was  a  great  reclining 
image  of  Buddha  some  thirty  feet  long,  and  around  it  a 
number  of  figures  representing  his  disciples.  Numerous 
small  wooden  and  stone  images  of  Buddha  had  been  placed  by 
pious  pilgrims  about  the  platforms.  Pillows,  mattresses, 
robes,  yellow  drapery,  flags,  water-bottles,  rice-bowls,  fans, 
dolls,  images  of  temples,  doll's  houses  for  the  spirits,  and 
all  sorts  of  trumpery,  were  lying  together  with  fresh  and 
faded  flowers  that  had  been  offered  to  the  images,  and  were 
strewn  in  front  of  them.  A  steep  ladder  led  up  to  niches 
near  the  roof  of  the  cave,  in  which  images  were  enshrined. 

"  My  companions,  full  of  ardor,  determined  to  explore 
the  inner  recesses  of  the  cave,  and  accordingly  lighted  their 
torches  and  proceeded  further  into  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
whilst  I  enjoyed  a  quiet  smoke  amongst  the  gods.  Down 
they  went,  creeping  through  low,  narrow  passages,  over  rocks, 
and  along  ledges,  with  chasms  and  pits  lining  their  path  as 


A  SURVEYING  EXPEDITION  253 

the  cave  expanded — bottomless  as  far  as  they  could  judge  by 
the  faint  light  of  their  torches,  but  really  not  more  than 
twenty  or  thirty  feet  deep — until  they  could  get  no  further, 
and  had  to  return,  having  proceeded  about  the  eighth  of 
a  mile." 

That  night  brought  us  to  the  Me  Fang  River.  The 
narrative  proceeds : 

"  Here  we  spent  the  most  unpleasant  night  we  had  yet 
spent,  as  we  were  troubled  with  rain,  heat,  and  mosquitoes. 
We  were  told  that  game  was  plentiful.  Wild  cattle  larger 
than  buffaloes  come  in  droves  from  the  hills  to  graze  in  the 
plain,  while  the  rhinoceros  and  the  elephant  roam  about 
the  plains. 

"  At  our  next  stopping  place,  after  we  had  settled  our- 
selves in  an  empty  house,  a  villager  came  to  inform  us  that 
the  house  belonged  to  the  Chief  of  Muang  Fang,  and  that 
anybody  that  slept  in  it  would  have  his  head  cut  off.  As 
rain  was  threatening,  we  determined  to  risk  the  penalty, 
and  we  were  soon  glad  that  we  had  done  so,  as  the  rain 
poured    down    in   torrents." 

There  is  a  small  deer  called  tamne,  which  twenty 
years  ago  was  very  abundant  in  all  the  northern 
provinces.  They  are  not  found  in  the  very  tall  grass 
of  the  river-bottoms,  but  in  grass  about  waist-high 
thickly  covering  the  higher  plains.  They  have  their 
beds  in  this  grass  by  day,  and  graze  at  night.  They 
are  lower  than  the  grass,  and  never  leap  so  as  to  show 
the  body,  but  glide  smoothly  along  as  if  swimming,  dis- 
covering their  presence  only  through  the  parting  and 
waving  of  the  grass.  Sometimes  you  get  right  upon 
them  before  they  will  run. 

One  Saturday  we  got  Mr.  Hallett  interested  in  some 
survey  or  calculations  not  requiring  the  aid  of  an  in- 
terpreter, and  Mr.  Martin  and  I  had  our  first  deer-hunt. 


254    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

We  took  six  of  our  elephants,  and,  going  out  about  an 
hour's  ride  or  more  from  the  city,  we  formed  in  open 
order  abreast,  about  forty  yards  apart,  and  in  perfect 
silence  moved  forward  over  the  plain.  The  hunter 
thus  starts  his  own  game.  He  sits  on  the  back,  or, 
better  still,  on  the  neck  of  his  elephant,  with  gun 
cocked,  ready  for  a  shot  at  the  first  noise  or  move- 
ment in  the  grass.  We  started  about  a  dozen  of  the 
deer,  and  emptied  many  cartridges,  but  came  back  to 
camp  with  no  meat — much  to  Mr.  Hallett's  disgust. 

Muang  Fang,  like  Chieng  Sen,  was  rich  in  images 
of  all  sizes  and  materials.  I  never  saw  finer  bronze 
ones.  It  was  a  favourite  field  from  which  Siamese 
princes  and  oflScials  could  get  a  supply  otherwise  un- 
attainable in  those  days.  Of  course,  they  have  a  right 
to  them.  But  when  a  German  traveller  undertook  a 
wholesale  speculation  in  the  images  of  Buddha,  it  was 
quite  another  matter,  and  he  got  into  serious  diffi- 
culty with  the  government. 

Soon  after  our  return  to  Chiengmai,  Mr.  Hallett  left 
us  for  Bangkok.  From  his  long  residence  in  Burma 
and  from  his  close  connection  with  the  mission  and 
missionaries  during  his  expedition  among  what  he 
calls  the  Shan  States,  he  understood  the  methods  and 
results  of  missionary  work  better  than  most  visitors 
who  have  written  upon  the  subject.  The  kind  words 
of  the  dedication  of  his  book,  though  often  quoted, 
may  well  conclude  this  chapter. 

"  To  the  American  Missionaries  in  Burma  and  Siam 
and  the  Shan  States  I  dedicate  this  book,  as  a  mark 
of  the  high  esteem  in  which  I  hold  the  noble  work  the 
American  Baptist  Mission  and  the  American  Presby- 
terian Mission  are  accomplishing  in  civilizing  and 
Christianizing  the  people  of  Indo-China." 


XXIII 
EVANGELISTIC  TRAINING 

ON  our  return  from  the  survey ing  expedition  in 
the  summer  of  1884,  we  found  F.  B.  Gould, 
Esq.,  our  first  British  Vice-Consul,  already 
established  in  Chiengmai.  It  was  an  important  event 
for  the  country ;  since  a  British  official  in  any  place  is 
a  guarantee  that  at  least  the  outward  forms  of  law 
and  justice  will  be  observed.  In  one  important  sense, 
too,  it  marked  a  new  era  for  the  mission,  or,  at  least, 
for  the  missionaries. 

Those  who  have  not  tried  can  hardly  imagine  the  pri- 
vation of  living  eighteen  years  without  a  mail  system 
of  any  kind.  Our  only  dependence  so  far  was  on 
catching  chance  trading  boats  to  and  from  Bangkok. 
These  were  always  an  uncertain  quantity;  in  very  low 
water  they  almost  ceased  to  travel.  Some  boatmen 
preferred  not  to  be  responsible  for  the  mail,  not  know- 
ing what  it  might  contain.  In  the  great  city  of  Bang- 
kok, and  even  in  Chiengmai,  it  required  a  constant  ef- 
fort to  keep  ourselves  informed  of  the  departures  of 
boats.  The  consequence  was  that  an  absence  of  news 
from  children,  friends,  and  the  outside  world  gener- 
ally, for  three  or  four  months  at  a  time,  was  very  com- 
mon. Sometimes  the  interval  was  as  much  as  eight 
months.  Add  to  this  the  time  of  the  long  river  trip, 
and  our  news  sometimes  would  be  nearly  a  year  old 
when  it  reached  us.     Mr.  Wilson's  family  and  mine 

255 


256    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

had  schooled  ourselves  to  these  conditions;  but  to 
those  who  had  been  accustomed  to  a  daily  mail,  they 
must  have  been  almost  unendurable. 

The  new  Vice-Consul  came,  determined  by  all  means 
to  get  some  regular  communication  established,  if  it 
were  only  a  monthly  one.  We  were  only  too  glad  to 
do  whatever  we  could  to  that  end.  It  was  a  matter 
of  pride  to  both  parties  that  we  arranged  at  once  for 
a  regular  and  most  successful  semi-monthly  mail  over- 
land to  Maulmein,  I  furnished  a  reliable  Christian 
man  for  chief  contractor,  and  good  men  for  carriers. 
Since  Mr.  Gould  had  as  yet  no  authority  from  his  gov- 
ernment to  incur  any  expense,  the  arrangement  was 
wholly  a  private  afifair,  with  the  understanding  that 
all  who  availed  themselves  of  it  should  pay  a  quarterly 
assessment  for  the  maintenance  of  the  line.  But  in  a 
short  time  the  British  government  assumed  the  whole 
expense.  Mr.  Gould  promised  to  get  the  staff  exempt 
from  corvee,  or  compulsory  government  service.  He 
had  to  use  his  oflQcial  authority  for  that. 

The  Lao  government  had  absolutely  no  interest  in 
a  mail,  whether  weekly  or  yearly;  but  the  Siamese 
looked  rather  askance  at  having  in  their  own  coun- 
try a  mail  service  over  which  they  had  no  control. 
It  seemed  to  be  in  some  way  a  reflection  on  their  na- 
tional pride.  There  is  little  doubt  that  our  private 
enterprise  hastened  the  weekly  government  mail  from 
Bangkok,  which  was  started  the  next  year.  And  since 
the  Maulmein  route  is  quicker  by  two  weeks  than 
the  one  by  Bangkok,  the  Siamese  government  has  of 
late  maintained  both,  the  two  meeting  at  Raheng,  and 
giving  us  a  very  creditable  and  regular  mail  service. 

In  the  spring  of  1884  the  mission  sustained  a  great 


EVANGELISTIC  TRAINING  257 

loss  in  the  death  of  Princess  Tipa  Kesawn,  Prince  In- 
tanon's  consort,  whom  we  were  in  the  habit  of  calling 
"  the  Queen."  Placed  as  she  was,  she  could  not  well 
have  avoided  the  making  of  priests'  garments,  and  the 
going  through  with  the  form  of  making  offerings  to  the 
spirits.  But  I  seriously  doubt  whether  she  had  any  ex- 
pectation of  laying  up  thereby  a  store  of  merit  for  the 
future.  One  thing  we  do  know,  that  in  her  last  sick- 
ness she  turned  no  anxious  look  to  any  of  these  things, 
at  a  time  when  thoughtful  Buddhists  are  always  most 
diligent  in  their  efforts.  Dr.  Peoples  of  our  mission 
attended  her  in  her  last  illness,  and  the  case  was  sub- 
mitted entirely  to  him.  Mrs.  McGilvary  and  I  were 
both  with  her  the  day  before  she  died.  Mrs.  McGil- 
vary was  with  her  at  her  death,  and  remained  to  see 
the  body  dressed  for  the  coffin.  We  missed  her  very 
much  as  a  friend,  and  the  whole  country  missed  her  as 
a  balance-wheel  for  her  husband. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  reinforcement  in  1883,  a  Pres- 
bytery was  organized  of  the  four  ministers,  Wilson, 
Peoples,  Hearst,  and  McGilvary.  I  was  then  full  of 
the  idea  of  a  theological  training-class.  My  experi- 
ence of  the  accumulated  power  added  to  the  mission- 
ary's efforts  by  ha\^ing  such  assistants  as  Nan  Inta, 
Nan  Suwan,  and  Noi  Intachak,  raised  in  my  mind  the 
question,  Why  not  increase  the  number?  Having  had 
no  schools,  we  had,  of  course,  no  body  of  young  men 
educated  on  Christian  lines  whom  we  might  train  for 
the  ministry;  and  we  could  not  have  such  for  years 
to  come.  But  we  had  in  our  churches  mature  men  of 
deeply  religious  nature,  earnest  students  of  Buddhism, 
and  carefully  educated  in  all  the  learning  of  their  race. 
And  a  man  so  trained  has  many  compensations  for 


258   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

his  lack  of  training  in  our  elementary  schools.  He 
knows  the  sacred  books  of  his  own  people,  their 
strength  and  their  weakness.  He  understands  the 
thoughts,  the  needs,  and  the  difiSculties  of  a  Buddhist 
enquirer,  and  the  mode  of  argument  by  which  these 
difficulties  are  to  be  met,  as  no  young  man  of  his  own 
race,  and  as  no  foreign  teacher  can  do.  The  training 
needed  to  make  such  a  man  an  efficient  preacher  of  the 
Gospel,  is  training  in  the  Christian  Scriptures,  to- 
gether with  practical  experience  in  evangelistic  work 
under  efficient  direction. 

I  was  at  that  time  giving  regular  instruction  to  Noi 
Intachak,  one  of  the  finest  young  men  I  have  ever 
known  in  that  country,  and  very  anxious  to  become  a 
minister.^  To  Nan  Ta,  afterwards  our  efficient  min- 
ister, I  was  giving  instruction  less  regularly,  as  it 
was  possible  for  him  to  take  it.  But  it  would  have 
been  both  easier  and  more  profitable  to  teach  a  class 
of  six  or  eight.  By  qualifying  such  a  group  of  young 
men  to  work,  and  then  working  with  them  and  through 
them,  I  believed  that  my  own  efficiency  could  be 
quadrupled,  or  even  sextupled,  as  it  was  doubled  when 
I  had  Nan  Inta  to  work  with. 

With  these  thoughts  and  this  experience  impressed 
on  my  mind,  and  in  order  that  my  plan,  if  adopted, 
might  have  the  ecclesiastical  sanction  of  the  Pres- 
bytery as  well  as  the  corporate  sanction  of  the  mis- 
sion, I  had  urged  the  organization  of  the  Presbytery 
just  as  soon  as  we  had  the  minimum  quorum  required. 
In  order  to  give  the  discussion  its  proper  outlook  and 
perspective,  I  noticed,  also,  in  the  paper  which  I  read 
before  the  Presbytery,  the  necessity  of  a  general  edu- 

1  Our  hopes  for  his  future  career,  alas,  were  cut  short  by  his  un- 
timely death  in  the  following  year. 


EVANGELISTIC  TRAINING  259 

cation  for  all  our  Christians,  and  of  High  Schools  for 
both  sexes ;  while  I  sketched  more  in  detail  the  nature 
and  the  methods  of  special  instruction  intended  for 
those  in  training  to  become  evangelists  and  ministers. 

The  training  proposed  for  this  last  group  was  in- 
tended primarily  to  equip  the  most  capable  and  most 
promising  individuals  among  the  converts  for  filling 
well  their  places  as  lay  oflQcers  and  leaders  in  the 
churches,  and  for  engaging  intelligently  in  evangelistic 
work.  But  beyond  this  it  was  thought  that  it  w^ould 
ultimately  furnish  a  body  of  picked  men  from  whom 
again  the  best  might  be  chosen  as  candidates  for 
further  instruction  leading  up  to  the  ministerial  of- 
fice. The  course  was  to  be  flexible  enough  to  permit 
occasional  attendance  with  profit  on  the  part  of  men 
whose  household  duties  or  whose  business  would  not 
permit  them  to  attend  regularly.  Its  special  feature 
was  actual  and  constant  practice  in  evangelistic  work 
under  the  direction  and  supervision  of  the  Principal, 
and  with  him  as  his  assistants  on  his  tours. 

In  view  of  the  poverty  of  the  Lao  generally,  and  in 
order  to  make  it  possible  for  these  men  to  maintain 
their  families  while  occupied  with  this  training,  it  was 
further  proposed  that  they  should  receive  a  moderate 
allowance  of,  perhaps,  eight  rupees  per  month  of  actual 
service,  or  about  three  dollars  of  our  money.  This 
seemed  not  unreasonable,  since  in  Christian  lands  it 
is  thought  a  wise  provision  to  assist  students  in  their 
preparation  for  the  ministry ;  and  since  what  is  re- 
quired to  support  one  European  missionary  family, 
would  support  half  a  dozen  fairly  educated  native 
ministers  or  ten  good  native  evangelists. 

The  Presbytery  took  hold  of  the  scheme  with  much 
ardour,  and  at  once  began  to  organize  it  into  shape, 


260  AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

but  on  far  too  large  a  scale,  and  with  far  too  formi- 
dable and  too  foreign  apparatus.  A  regular  "  Board 
of  Education  "  was  created,  with  rules  and  regulations 
better  suited  to  American  conditions  than  to  those  of 
the  Lao  churches.  A  committee  was  further  appointed 
to  examine  all  applicants  for  the  course,  much  after 
the  manner  of  receiving  candidates  for  the  ministry 
under  the  care  of  a  Presbytery.  Their  ^'  motives  for 
seeking  the  ministry  "  were  to  be  enquired  into,  while 
ii6  yet  it  was  not  at  all  known  whether  they  would 
desire  to  become  ministers.  The  allowance  in  each 
case  was  to  be  the  absolute  minimum  which  it  was  sup- 
posed would  sufiQce  for  the  maintenance  of  the  stu- 
dent after  he  had  provided  all  that  he  could  himself. 
Noi  Intachak,  for  example,  was  allowed  the  maximum 
of  eight  rupees  a  month,  while  Noi  Chai — one  of  the 
best  Buddhist  scholars  in  the  country,  a  young  man 
with  a  family,  living  ten  miles  away  in  the  country — ■ 
was  allowed  five  rupees,  on  the  ground  that  he  was  not 
very  poor ;  while  yet  another  was  allowed  but  three. 
'  After  this  ordeal — which  was  thought  to  be  a  good 
test  of  their  sincerity — the  rest  of  the  six  or  eight  can- 
didates for  instruction  declined  to  commit  themselves. 
None  of  them  understood  exactly  what  the  Board  of 
Education  was  about.  I  myself  was  greatly  disap- 
pointed at  the  outcome.  After  a  week  of  listless  study, 
Noi  Chai  begged  to  be  allowed  to  withdraw,  and  the 
whole  thing  was  disbanded.  My  hopeful  private  class 
was  killed  by  too  much  "  red  tape,"  and  with  it  all  pos- 
sibility of  a  training-class  for  four  years  to  come.  I 
was  again  set  free  for  long  tours  and  my  favourite 
evangelistic  work. 

I  continued  to  teach  Noi  Intachak  till  his  lamented 
death,  and  I  devoted  what  spare  time  I  could  to  teaching 


1 


EVANGELISTIC  TRAINING  261 

the  long-time  wanderer,  Nan  Ta,  who  had  become  our 
best  evangelist.  There  seems  to  have  been  some  fatal- 
ity connected  with  all  our  efforts  to  establish  a  theo- 
logical training-school.  When  the  next  attempt  was 
made,  under  Mr.  Dodd's  direction,  with  a  large  and  in- 
teresting class  enthusiastically  taught,  through  some 
cause  or  combination  of  causes — for  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  specify  any  single  one  as  alone  determinative — 
it  was  allowed  to  slip  out  of  our  hands.  Possibly  a 
leading  cause  in  this  case  was  the  same  that  was 
operative  in  the  other.  At  a  time  when  the  mission 
was  pressing  the  idea  of  self-support  to  its  breaking 
point,  an  allowance  probably  too  scanty  was  offered 
in  the  evangelistic  work  to  the  men  who  had  been 
trained  for  it.  The  whole  question  in  the  Lao  field, 
as  it  doubtless  is  in  others,  is  a  difficult  one.  As  wages 
in  other  departments  rise,  and  the  demand  for  com- 
petent men  becomes  more  pressing  both  in  govern- 
mental and  in  private  business,  the  question  will  be- 
come more  difficult  still.  While  on  the  one  hand  there 
is  the  danger  of  making  a  mercenary  ministry,  on  the 
other  hand  we  must  remember  that,  the  world  over, 
educated  labour  now  costs  more,  but  is  not,  therefore, 
necessarily  dearer.  The  same  penny-wise  and  pound- 
foolish  policy  has  lost  us  the  strength  of  some  of  the 
best  men  in  our  church,  our  schools,  our  hospitals,  and 
our  printing-press,  because  more  lucrative  positions 
are  offered  elsewhere.  But  we  must  remember  first  of 
all  that  theological  schools,  like  all  others,  are  not 
made,  but  grow;  and,  second,  that  the  law  of  competi- 
tion prevails  here,  too,  as  well  as  elsewhere.  It  is 
easy  to  say  that  it  ought  not  to  do  so,  as  between  the 
ministry  and  other  professions,  or  between  the  mis- 
sionary work  and  other  more  lucrative  callings.     But 


262   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 


a  fact  to  be  reckoned  with. 

In  May,  1884,  H.  R.  H.  Prince  Krommamun  Bijit,  a 
brother  of  the  King  of  Siam,  arrived  and  took  up  his 
residence  in  Chiengmai — probably  to  give  prestige  to 
the  High  Commissioner,  and  possibly  to  smooth  the 
road  of  the  new  British  Consul.  It  was  an  open  secret 
that  the  Prince  of  Chiengmai  could  see  no  need  what- 
ever for  a  British  Resident,  and  at  times  he  was  not 
slow  to  make  his  views  known.  For  a  while  the  rela- 
tions between  the  two  were  somewhat  strained.  Yet  it 
was  of  the  utmost  importance  that  the  relations  be- 
tween England  and  Siam  should  remain  cordial.  At 
the  same  time  it  was  a  part  of  the  plan  of  Siam,  since 
fully  carried  out,  to  assume  complete  control  of  the 
government  in  the  northern  states.  What  was  of  more 
special  interest  to  us  was,  as  we  shall  see,  not  only 
that  Prince  Bijit  was  personally  friendly,  but  that  he 
brought  with  him  substantial  evidence  of  the  good  will 
of  His  Majesty  and  of  the  Siamese  government  toward 
our  work. 

It  was  in  this  year  that  our  first  attempt  at  estab- 
lishing a  mountain  sanitarium  was  made.  It  was  de- 
signed to  furnish  a  refuge  from  the  great  heat  of  the 
plain,  to  be  a  retreat  for  invalids,  and  a  place  where 
new  missionaries  might  more  safely  become  ac- 
climatized, and  still  be  studying  the  language.  But  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  new  missionaries  are  put  to  work  so 
promptly  that  it  is  about  as  hard  for  them  to  with- 
draw from  the  battle  as  it  is  for  the  older  ones.  Since 
we  kept  no  watchman  on  the  premises,  the  sanitarium 
was  afterwards  burned  down — possibly  by  forest  fires. 
Later  a  better  and  more  convenient  situation  was  found 


EVANGELISTIC  TRAINING  263 

nearer  the  city,  so  near  that  a  man  can  ride  up  in  the 
evening,  spend  the  night  there  with  his  family,  and  re- 
turn in  the  morning  to  his  work  for  the  day.  It  is  in 
a  delightful  situation  beside  a  cool  brook,  but  is  too 
low  for  the  best  results  as  a  health  resort. 

At  the  Annual  Meeting  in  December,  the  importance 
of  opening  a  new  station  in  Lakawn  was  discussed. 
The  baptism  of  the  officer  from  that  city,  and  the 
organization  of  a  church  there,  have  already  been 
mentioned.  The  officer  was  constant  in  his  appeals 
for  the  establishment  of  a  station  there,  with  a  mis- 
sionary in  residence.  Although  Mr.  Wilson  was  soon 
to  start  with  his  family  for  the  United  States  on  a  fur- 
lough, there  would  still  be  left  in  Chiengmai — if  I  were 
sent  to  Lakawn — two  ministers  and  two  physicians, 
even  if  these  were  but  three  men  in  all.  Besides,  there 
were  beginning  to  be  some  good  native  assistants  in 
Chiengmai.  No  one  had  expressed  a  desire  to  open  a 
new  station,  and  no  one  had  been  sounded  in  regard 
to  the  matter.  So  I  determined  to  make  now  the  visit 
to  Lakawn  which  I  had  planned  for  the  previous  fall, 
but  had  been  unable  to  accomplish.  My  wife  and  our 
little  son  Norwood  were  to  accompany  me.  When  our 
preparations  were  well  advanced,  what  was  our  delight 
to  find  that  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Peoples  wished  to  accompany 
us,  if  they  could  obtain  elephants.  When  this  was 
mentioned  to  Prince  Bijit,  he  not  only  volunteered  the 
elephants,  but  informed  us  that  he  had  authority  from 
His  Majesty  to  see  that  we  had  a  lot  for  our  station 
there,  and,  furthermore,  that,  in  passing  through 
Lakawn,  he  had  already  secured  for  us  one  of  the  most 
desirable  lots  in  the  place.  In  addition  to  this.  His 
Majesty  had  sent  by  him  two  thousand  rupees  as  a  con- 


264   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

tribution  toward  the  new  station  and  a  hospital.  Who 
could  fail  to  see  that  the  guiding  hand  of  the  Lord  was 
in  it !  Before  this  I  had  written  to  our  United  States 
Consul  to  get  permission  to  secure  a  lot  there,  but  had 
never  once  thought  of  a  contribution,  much  less  of  one 
so  liberal.  Mrs.  McGilvary  thus  reports  our  trip  in 
a  letter  to  our  daughter : 

"  Lakawn,  January  30th,  1885.  We  reached  Lampun  on 
Friday.  I  curtained  off  one  end  of  the  sala  just  north  of 
the  city,  and  Mrs.  Peoples  did  the  same  at  the  other  end, 
leaving  the  space  between  and  the  veranda  for  callers. 
There  we  spent  the  Sabbath.  Your  father  preached  twice 
to  very  attentive  audiences.  We  were  impressed  with  the 
favourable  prospect  for  mission  work,  and  hope  to  make  a 
longer  visit  to  the  place  soon.  We  left  on  Monday,  and 
reached  this  place  on  Thursday  noon,  and  lodged  in  a  public 
sala  just  opposite  the  beautiful  lot  which  the  Prince  has 
given  us  for  a  station.  It  is  in  a  fine  site,  one  of  the  best 
in  the  city.  We  called  on  the  Chief  this  morning,  and  all 
seemed  pleased  at  the  prospect  of  having  a  mission  station 
here.  It  is  not  yet  settled  who  is  to  open  it.  We  are  willing 
to  come,  and  so  are  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Peoples." 

As  may  well  be  imagined,  we  returned  to  Chiengmai 
with  grateful  hearts  for  the  many  providences  that 
had  favoured  us.  The  new  station  was  assured.  We 
had  not  then  thought  of  keeping  two  physicians  for 
Chiengmai.  Dr.  Cheek  had  charge  of  the  medical 
work.  Dr.  Peoples,  naturally,  preferred  a  field  where 
he  would  have  ample  scope  both  for  his  medical  pro- 
fession and  for  the  itinerating  work  of  which  he  was 
equally  fond.  His  double  profession  and  other  quali- 
fications fitted  him  as  no  one  else  could  be  fitted 
for  opening  the  new  station.  On  my  wife's  account  I 
was  very  willing  to  yield  him  the  pleasure — for  such 


EVANGELISTIC  TRAINING  265 

to  me  it  has  always  been — of  breaking  new  ground. 
Mrs.  McGilvary  had  already  had  the  labour  and  self- 
denial  of  opening  two  stations,  one  of  which  was  a  new 
mission.  The  importance  of  Lakawn  as  the  next  sta- 
tion could  not  be  challenged.-  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Peoples 
themselves  were  pleased  with  the  place  and  the  pros- 
pect of  the  new  field.  So  they  were  unanimously  ap- 
pointed and  set  apart  to  the  new  and  important  work. 


XXIV 
STRUGGLE  WITH  THE  POWERS  OF  DARKNESS 

THE  belief  in  witchcraft  was  still  prevalent  every- 
where, and  this  year  brought  us  striking  il- 
lustrations of  its  cruel  power.  An  elderly  man 
with  his  wife  and  family,  living  in  one  of  the  outlying 
villages,  was  accused  of  witchcraft.  The  pair  of  ele- 
phants w^hich  he  owned  and  used  had  belonged  to  a 
man  suspected  of  harbouring  a  malicious  spirit;  and  it 
was  thought  that  the  demon  had  followed  these  ele- 
phants into  the  family  of  their  new  master.  The  fam- 
ily was  promptly  ostracized;  but  by  driving  off  her 
husband  with  his  elephants,  the  wife  might  avoid  ex- 
pulsion, and  might  save  for  herself  and  her  daughters 
the  comfortable  home.  I  endeavoured  in  vain  to  pre- 
vent this  outcome.  "  I  am  much  more  afraid  of  the 
spirits,"  said  the  wife,  "  than  of  bears  and  tigers." 
The  husband  could  no  longer  face  the  universal  odium 
which  he  encountered,  and  so  was  driven  forth.  But 
the  spirits  served  the  old  man  a  good  turn — they 
drove  him  into  the  Christian  religion,  which  he  lives  to 
adorn,  and  they  gave  him  two  good  elephants.  The 
family  afterwards  applied  for  one  of  them.  As  a  mat- 
ter of  equity  he  gave  up  one,  and  lived  comfortably 
with  a  Christian  son  on  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of 
the  other. 

Then  there  was  a  great  epidemic  of  fever  in  Ban  Pen 
in  the  neighbouring  province  of  Lampun.     Few  homes 


STRUGGLE  WITH  POWERS  OF  DARKNESS    267 

were  left  without  sad  hearts  and  vacant  places  through 
the  death  of  one  or  more  members.  The  destroyer 
must  be  some  demon  which  had  taken  up  its  abode  in  a 
human  habitation,  and  was  preying  on  the  inhabitants 
of  the  village.  The  family  of  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous men  in  the  village  was  finally  selected  as  the  one 
which  must  be  the  abode  of  the  destroyer.  As  they 
could  hardly  decide  in  which  particular  member  of  it 
the  demon  resided,  they  regarded  all  with  equal  sus- 
picion, and  proceeded  to  wreak  their  vengeance  to  the 
uttermost  upon  them  all. 

First,  according  to  the  usual  custom,  anonymous  let- 
ters were  dropped  at  the  gate,  warning  the  family  to 
flee,  or  dire  would  be  the  consequences.  When  threats 
failed,  armed  with  an  order  from  the  court,  the  whole 
village  appeared  on  the  scene  and  compelled  the  fam- 
ily to  flee  for  their  lives.  No  sooner  were  they  out 
of  the  way  than  their  two  large  teak  dwelling-houses, 
with  rice-bins,  outhouses,  etc.,  were  torn  down  and  scat- 
tered piecemeal  over  the  lot.  Not  even  a  tree  or  shrub 
was  left  on  the  place.  To  gain  a  breathing  spell,  the 
family  moved  into  a  bamboo  shed  hastily  extemporized 
on  the  banks  of  the  Me  Ping,  some  two  miles  distant 
from  what  had  been  their  home.  By  some  accident 
they  were  directed  to  our  mission.  They  had  learned 
that  the  King's  edict  protected  the  Christians,  and, 
above  all,  that  the  Christian  religion  protected  them 
from  all  fear  of  evil  spirits.  And  so  they  came  to  see 
if  it  were  true,  and  if  there  were  any  refuge  for 
them. 

Whatever  was  to  be  done  for  them  in  the  way  of 
earthly  succor,  must  evidently  be  done  quickly.  Their 
neighbours  in  their  temporary  refuge  would  doubtless 
soon  drive  them  away  again.     At  the  earnest  entreaty 


268   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

/  of  the  man  I  took  one  of  the  elders,  and  went  down  to 
look  into  the  case  for  myself.  It  was  heartrending. 
Whatever  they  had  been  able  to  snatch  from  the  wreck 
of  a  well-to-do  home — beds,  bedding,  furniture,  kitchen 
utensils — was  heaped  up  in  a  pile  that  covered  the 
whole  floor-space  of  their  shack.  The  great-grand- 
mother, helpless  in  her  dotage,  and  the  little  children, 
were  lying  here  and  there  wherever  a  smoother  spot 
could  be  found.  Their  case  seemed  almost  hopeless 
as  far  as  human  aid  was  concerned.  Nan  Chaiwana 
had  himself  appealed  for  aid  both  to  the  court  and  to 
the  governor,  and  had  been  told  that  there  was  nothing 
they  could  do  for  him.  The  court  was  committed 
against  him.  The  governor,  however,  was  personally 
friendly  to  us,  and  had  shown  no  ill  will  towards  the 
man.  It  was  barely  possible  that  something  might 
be  accomplished  there.  We  all  had  worship  together 
amid  the  confusion  of  their  hut — the  first  Christian 
service  they  had  ever  attended.  They  assured  us  of 
their  joyful  acceptance  of  the  Gospel,  and  pledged 
obedience  to  all  its  teachings.  We  promised  to  do 
whatever  we  could  in  their  behalf,  and  returned  home. 
Next  day  Mr.  Martin  and  I  went  down  to  Lampiin 
to  call  on  the  governor.  He  w^as  not  at  home,  but  in 
the  ricefields  several  miles  out  in  the  country.  We  fol- 
lowed him  there.  He  received  us  kindly,  but  said, 
'''  Were  I  to  make  proclamation  to  protect  that  family, 
it  would  be  impossible  to  enforce  it.  Nearly  every- 
body in  that  neighbourhood  believes  that  the  bodies 
or  ashes  of  fathers,  mothers,  brothers,  sisters,  or  chil- 
dren are  in  that  graveyard,  sent  there  by  the  demon  in 
that  family.  If  you  can  devise  some  plan  to  protect 
them,  you  are  welcome  to  try  it;  but  if  they  return 
to  that  village,  I  cannot  be  responsible  for  the  results." 


STRUGGLE  WITH  POWERS  OF  DARKNESS    269 

When  told  that  they  had  now  renounced  the  spirits, 
and  put  themselves  under  the  Great  Spirit,  he  said, 
"  That  is  all  very  well,  but  how  am  I  to  convince  the 
others  that  they  are  safe  ?  "  We  then  begged  that  he 
would  give  the  place  over  to  us.  We  wanted  a  place 
for  preaching.  We  would  put  up  one  of  the  houses 
and  establish  a  Christian  family  in  it,  with  medicine  to 
cure  their  fevers.  I  would  oversee  it,  but  would  ask 
the  family  to  help  in  the  work.  To  this  he  readily 
consented.  We  trusted  his  promise,  and  we  returned 
encouraged. 

A  few  evenings  later  I  arrived  on  the  scene  with  our 
elder  and  some  other  Christians,  and  pitched  tent  at 
the  edge  of  the  ricefleld,  a  hundred  yards  from  the 
deserted  lot,  to  engage  in  a  contest  with  the  destroying 
demon.  It  was,  moreover,  a  crucial  contest  as  be- 
tween Christianity  and  demonism.  Our  whole  future 
work  in  that  province,  and,  to  a  large  extent,  through- 
out the  land,  depended  on  the  result.  Soon  curiosity 
brought  to  our  tent  the  head  man  and  a  large  num- 
ber of  the  villagers.  We  spent  the  evening  in  preach- 
ing to  them.  When  asked  what  we  proposed  to  do 
with  the  situation,  we  explained  that  we  had  come 
to  take  possession  of  the  house  and  lot — the  governor 
had  given  it  over  to  the  mission  for  a  station.  It 
was  now  the  property  of  the  Christians,  over  whom  the 
spirits  had  no  power.  It  was  to  be  dedicated  to  the 
Lord's  work,  and  we  even  asked  their  aid. 

Next  morning  we  began  work,  bringing  in  some  of 
the  men  of  the  outcast  family  to  assist  in  identifying 
and  reassembling  the  scattered  timbers  of  the  house. 
With  much  difficulty  bone  was  joined  to  bone,  and  tim- 
ber to  timber.  In  a  few  days  some  of  the  villagers  of- 
fered to  be  hired  to  help.     One  or  two  women  of  the 


270   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

family  came  over  to  cook  for  the  workmen.  Before 
long  one  house  was  set  up,  roofed,  and  floored ;  where- 
upon we  moved  up  into  it,  and  invited  the  neighbours 
to  attend  its  dedication  that  evening.  The  evening  was 
spent  in  song  and  prayer  and  praise.  Many  came  up 
into  the  house.  More  listened  from  the  ground  below. 
We  had  given  quinine  to  the  fever  patients,  who  were 
glad  to  get  well  by  the  help  of  Christian  medicine. 
Meanwhile  the  epidemic  subsided,  and  the  worst  fears 
of  the  people  were  allayed. 

When  it  became  necessary  for  me  to  return  to  Chieng- 
mai,  I  left  the  elder  to  furnish  moral  support  to  the 
poor  outcasts,  who,  little  by  little,  came  back  to  their 
home,  and  becauie  the  Christian  family  which  we  had 
promised  to  establish  there.  To  save  the  land  from 
being  utterly  lost  to  him,  Nan  Chaiwana  had  mort- 
gaged it  to  one  of  the  princes  for  the  trifling  sum  of 
one  hundred  rupees.  Not  trusting  to  the  prince's  un- 
selfishness, I  took  Nan  Chaiwana's  own  money,  paid  the 
mortgage,  and  with  some  regret  the  prince  released  the 
property  to  me.  Thus  was  it  all  restored  to  the  fam- 
ily. Mr.  Martin  and  I  visited  the  station  as  often  as 
we  could.  It  became  an  interesting  centre  for  our 
work,  and  ultimately  grew  into  the  Bethel  church. 

While  I  was  engaged  in  this  work,  a  strange  thing 
was  doing  on  the  other  side  of  the  Me  Ping.  One  day 
a  man  came  in  from  the  ''  Big  Tamarind  Tree  Village  " 
to  tell  us  that  his  whole  village  had  become  Christians, 
and  were  building  a  chapel.  When  it  was  finished,  he 
would  invite  us  to  come  down  and  indoctrinate  the 
people  in  the  teachings  of  our  religion.  This  was  some- 
thing new,  and,  of  course,  most  interesting.  In  due 
time  the  man  came  to  Chiengmai  to  inform  us  that 


STRUGGLE  WITH  POWERS  OF  DARKNESS    271 

the  chapel  was  finished,  and  we  were  invited  to  go 
down,  take  possession,  dedicate  it,  and  teach  the 
people. 

On  the  following  Friday,  Mr.  Martin  and  I  took 
boat  and  went  to  the  village  landing,  where  we  sep- 
arated, he  going  east  to  receive  and  baptize  the  con- 
verts in  the  ''  new  home  of  the  teachers,"  as  the  house 
at  Ban  Pen  long  was  called;  and  I  to  dedicate  the 
new  chapel  at  the  "  Big  Tamarind  Tree  Village."  I 
found  the  chapel  there  all  right,  and  the  whole  village 
assembled  to  welcome  the  teacher;  and,  apparently, 
like  the  audience  that  Peter  found  in  the  house  of 
Cornelius,  ready  "  to  hear  words  whereby  they  might 
be  saved."  The  chapel  was  built  mostly  of  bamboo, 
but  so  new  and  neat  that  I  complimented  the  villagers, 
and  expressed  my  great  delight.  After  our  reception, 
I  invited  them  up  into  the  chapel  for  worship,  and  be- 
gan by  announcing  a  hymn,  and  inviting  them  to  join 
in  learning  to  sing  it ;  expecting,  with  my  assistant  and 
other  Christians  who  had  accompanied  me,  to  spend 
the  time  in  teaching  them  what  Christianity  is;  pre- 
suming that  their  reception  of  it  was  a  foregone  con- 
clusion. 

But  somehow  things  did  not  seem  to  run  smoothly. 
I  was  conscious  of  being  in  a  wrong  atmosphere.  The 
leader  of  the  movement  seemed  ill  at  ease.  None  en- 
tered in  with  the  accustomed  zeal  of  new  converts.  My 
assistant  noticed  the  same  thing,  and  whispered  in 
my  ear  that  something  was  wrong.  They  were  whis- 
pering to  him,  "Where  is  the  money?"  "What 
money?  "  "  Why,  the  fifty  or  one  hundred  rupees  that 
we  were  told  would  surely  be  forthcoming  to  every 
family  that  aided  in  the  building,  and  that  entered 
the  new  religion.     The  foreigners   are   rich,   and,   of 


272   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

course,  will  be  delighted  to  distribute  money  freely." 
The  leader,  of  course,  expected  the  lion's  share.  It 
had  all  been  a  mere  business  venture  on  his  part — or, 
rather,  a  swindle!  This  was  on  Saturday.  On  Mon- 
day morning  Mr.  Martin  and  I  met  at  the  boat  ac- 
cording to  agreement,  he  to  report  a  good  day  and 
the  baptism  of  ten  adults  along  with  as  many  children, 
and  the  reception  of  a  number  of  catechumens;  and  I 
to  confess  how  I  had  been  sold. 

In  the  summer  of  1885  a  most  interesting  work  was 
started  in  some  villages  to  the  southwest  of  the  city. 
Our  indefatigable  Nan  Ta  had  visited  that  region,  and 
many  had  professed  their  faith.  Mr.  Martin  and  I 
both  responded  to  the  call,  and  made  a  number  of  visits 
there.  Two  chapels  were  built  by  the  enquirers,  one 
at  Lawng  Kura,  and  one  at  Chang  Kam.  I  quote  the 
following  account  of  this  work  from  the  New  York  06- 


"  June  9th,  1885. — I  have  just  returned  from  the  villages 
referred  to  in  my  last  letter.  I  found  twenty-two  families 
of  professed  believers  at  Lawng  Kum  Chapel,  which  with 
the  aid  of  a  few  dollars  from  elsewhere  they  had  suc- 
ceeded in  building.  Among  them  are  at  least  six  persons 
who  give  good  evidence  of  a  change  of  heart,  and  the  rest 
are  interesting  enquirers.  Ten  miles  from  there,  at  Chang 
Kam,  I  visited  by  invitation  another  company  who  had  re- 
nounced Buddhism,  and  who  call  themselves  Christians.  On 
arriving  there  a  roll  of  thirty-five  families  was  handed  me. 
Most  of  them  had  attended  worship  at  times  in  the  chapel  at 
Chiengmai,  and  a  few  of  them  are  no  doubt  true  Christians, 
Here  also  we  secured  a  native  house  for  a  chapel.  They 
contributed  a  part  of  the  small  sum  needed,  while  in  this 
case,  as  in  the  other,  their  contribution  was  supplemented 
from  the  monthly  contributions  of  the  church  in  Chiengmai. 
Deputations  have  been  sent  also  from  places  still  further 


STRUGGLE  WITH  POWERS  OF  DARKNESS    273 

away,  representing  in  one  case  twenty,  and  in  another  case 
twelve  families  enrolled  by  themselves,  with  others  only 
waiting  for  the  arrival  of  a  teacher. 

"  It  is  probably  premature  to  predict  what  will  be  the 
result  of  all  this.  The  simultaneousness  of  the  movement  in 
villages  thirty  or  forty  miles  apart  is  remarkable.  It  shows 
a  longing  for  something  they  have  not.  To  turn  this 
awakening  to  most  account,  we  need  more  help,  both  native 
and  foreign.  Mr.  Martin  enters  into  the  work  with  all  his 
zeal,  and  has  contributed  no  little  toward  keeping  up  the 
interest." 

Our  expectations  in  regard  to  the  work  at  Lawng 
Kum  were  disappointed  mainly  by  removals  of  fam- 
ilies to  other  places.  The  chapel  in  Chang  Kam  was 
burned  down  by  incendiaries,  but  was  soon  replaced, 
and  the  village  has  continued  to  be  one  of  our  most 
important  out-stations.  Its  people  have  recently 
[1910]  built  a  new  and  large  chapel,  and  will  soon 
be  organized  into  a  church.  One  zealous  man  in  Me 
Ao  led  first  his  own  family  and  then  his  neighbours 
into  the  faith,  till  they,  too,  have  now  a  chapel  built 
of  teak,  with  a  band  of  faithful  workers  to  worship 
in  it. 

Our  first  visits  to  these  new  places  were  intensely  in- 
teresting. It  seemed  as  if  the  Gospel  would  be  em- 
braced by  whole  villages.  But  the  burning  of  the 
chapel  tells  a  tale  of  a  strong  adverse  influence.  Op- 
position usually  drives  off  the  timid  and  the  merely 
curious.  The  lines,  then,  are  sharply  drawn,  and  the 
Christian  society  really  finds  itself. 

During  the  last  week  of  the  year  I  spent  a  few  days 
at  the  village  of  Me  Dawk  Deng  to  hold  a  communion 
service  there,  and  incidentally  to  give  my  family  and 
the  teachers  of  the  Girls'  School  a  much-needed  outing. 
It  was  at  the  height  of  the  rice-harvest,  and,  one  even- 


274   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

ing,  we  all  greatly  enjoyed  the  sight  of  a  regular  rice- 
threshing  "  bee  "  at  the  farm  of  one  of  our  eMers.  The 
"  bee  "  is  always  at  night.  The  bundles  of  rice  from 
the  harvest-field  are  piled  up  so  as  to  form  a  wall  five 
feet  high  around  a  space  of  some  twenty-five  feet  square, 
with  an  opening  for  entrance  at  one  corner.  In  the 
centre  of  this  square  is  a  horizontal  frame  of  bamboo 
poles,  against  which  the  bundles  of  rice-heads  are 
forcibly  struck.  The  grain  falls  to  the  ground  below, 
and  the  straw  is  tossed  outside.  In  those  days  the 
whole  plain  at  rice-harvest  was  lighted  up  by  bonfires 
of  the  burning  straw — a  glorious  sight  as  I  have 
watched  it  from  Doi  Sutep. 

We  pitched  our  tent  near  by  to  enjoy  the  scene.  The 
men  and  boys  do  the  threshing,  while  the  women  and 
girls  do  the  cooking  for  the  feast  with  which  the  work 
ends.  The  village  maidens  are  always  on  hand  to  en- 
courage their  beaux  in  their  work  by  passing  to  them 
water  or  betel-nut,  and  to  serve  the  viands  at  the  feast. 
It  reminded  me  much  of  the  husking  bees  I  had  seen 
as  a  lad  in  the  South  seventy  years  ago.  How  near  of 
kin  is  all  the  world ! 

We  had  a  delightful  communion  service  on  the  Sab- 
bath. Seven  adults  and  six  children  were  baptized. 
On  Monday  morning  we  returned  home  refreshed  and 
better  prepared  for  the  work  before  us. 

The  year  had  been  one  of  marked  progress.  The 
Girls'  School  had  been  strengthened  by  the  arrival  of 
Miss  Lizzie  Westervelt.  The  new  station  at  Lakawn 
had  been  opened,  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Peoples  had  been 
installed  there.  More  new  work  had  been  opened  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Chiengmai  and  Lampiin  than  in 
any  one  year  of  the  history  of  the  mission.     One  hun- 


MARh^KT    SCENE    IN    CHIENGMAI 


IN    THE    HARVEST    FIELD 


STRUGGLE  WITH  POWERS  OF  DARKNESS    275 

dred  and  two  adults  were  added  to  the  communion  roll, 
and  about  as  many  children  were  baptized.  Our  new 
"  witchcraft-house "  at  Ban  Pen,  with  its  hospitable 
family,  afforded  a  comfortable  prophet's  chamber  for 
the  missionaries  and  a  chapel  for  worship.  The  Bethel 
church  was  afterwards  organized  in  it.  That  family 
became  highly  respected,  and  has  furnished  some  of 
the  most  influential  members  of  our  church.  The  work 
in  Nawng  Fan,  seven  miles  south  of  Chiengmai — Nan 
Inta's  village — had  steadily  grown.  It  still  continues 
to  be  one  of  our  best  out-stations,  and  will,  during  the 
present  year  [1910]  be  organized  into  a  church. 


XXV 

CHRISTIAN  COMMUNITIES  PLANTED 

THE  year  1886  opened  auspiciously.  But  Mr. 
Martin  had  brought  malaria  in  his  system  from 
his  old  home;  and  the  Lao  country  is  a  better 
place  for  contracting  the  infection  than  for  eradicat- 
ing it.  He  worked  indefatigably,  but  seldom  with  a 
blood-temperature  down  to  the  normal.  In  January 
he  accepted  an  invitation  from  Mr.  Gould,  the  British 
Vice-Consul,  to  accompany  him  on  a  tour  of  inspection 
through  the  northern  provinces,  hoping  that  the  change 
might  prove  beneficial.  It  afforded,  moreover,  oppor- 
tunity for  some  missionary  work  in  places  seldom  or 
never  visited.  He  was  the  first  to  visit  the  Mtiso  vil- 
lages high  up  among  the  mountains.  He  baptized  a 
few  converts  in  Chieng  Sen,  and  reported  an  interest 
there  that  should  be  followed  up. 

About  this  same  time  Krii  Nan  Ta — for  such,  though 
not  yet  ordained,  I  shall  in  future  call  him — returned 
from  Chieng  Rai  with  a  most  encouraging  report  of 
developments  there.  Later  a  deputation  of  seven  men, 
with  Tao  Tepasing  as  their  leader,  came  to  us  from  the 
village  of  Me  Kawn  in  the  Chieng  Rai  province, 
earnestly  entreating  a  visit  from  the  missionary.  In 
their  number  was  Pii  King  from  Chieng  Rai,  who  had 
been  a  notorious  bandit,  robber,  and  murderer.  He 
had  now  submitted  to  the  government,  and  was  given 
a  place  as  public  executioner  and  as  doer  of  other  jobs 
from  which  only  a  lawless  man  would  not  shrink.  Be- 
276 


CHRISTIAN  COMMUNITIES  PLANTED       277 

fore  meeting  Kru  Nan  Ta,  he  had  gone  so  deep  in  sin 
that  no  hope  was  left  him,  and  he  became  hardened  in 
despair.  But  his  conscience  was  ill  at  ease.  Hearing 
rumours  of  the  Christian  religion,  he  determined  that 
if  it  could  give  him  hope  of  pardon,  he  would  seek  it 
at  any  cost.  He  and  his  wife  walked  one  hundred  and 
ten  miles  to  see  if  it  were  really  true  that  Jesus  could 
save  even  him.  Our  good  friend  the  governor  encour- 
aged his  coming,  and  said,  "  If  the  Christian  religion 
can  make  a  good  man  out  of  Pii  King,  I  shall  have 
no  more  doubts  of  its  truth  and  power."  And  we  have 
no  doubt  that  it  did  that  very  thing. 

In  a  few  days  Kru  Nan  Ta  and  I  returned  with  the 
party.  Elder  Ai  Tu  of  Chieng  Rai,^  with  his  family, 
accompanied  us.  We  thus  had  quite  a  little  congre- 
gation to  worship  nightly  about  the  camp-fire,  and 
every  one  of  the  party  was  either  a  Christian  or  an  en- 
quirer. This  was  my  third  trip  to  the  north,  and  the 
first  of  those  annual  trips  that  have  made  that  road  so 
familiar  to  me. 

The  little  colony  of  Christians  at  Wieng  Pa  Pao  was 
prospering.  One  of  them  was  the  man  whom  his  wife 
had  driven  off,  elephants  and  all,  for  witchcraft.  Nan 
Ta  reported  the  governor  of  the  place  as  a  believer. 
He  had  ceased  to  make  offerings  in  temples,  and  he 
ridiculed  the  idols.  He  received  us  most  hospitably, 
and  desired  to  have  a  mission  station  there.  After- 
wards, however,  through  policy  and  the  influence  of 
a  Burmese  son-in-law,  he  resumed  his  old  worship; 
though  to  the  last  in  his  heart  of  hearts,  I  think,  he 
believed  our  teachings  to  be  true.  In  the  case  of  sub- 
ordinate ofiScials,  the  final  step  of  joining  the  church 
is  terribly  hard  to  take. 

*  Afterwards  Praya  Pakdi. 


278   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

At  Sail  Toi,  "  Grandma  "  Pan  had  been  praying  day 
and  night  for  our  coming.  She  lived  some  distance 
away  from  the  road,  and  feared  that  we  might  pass 
her  by.  She  was  overjoyed  to  see  us,  and  we  had  to 
check  the  homage  she  offered  us.  The  poor  woman  was 
sadly  in  need  of  support.  She  was  the  only  Christian 
in  the  place,  and  was  surrounded  by  hostile  neighbours 
who  absolutely  rebelled  against  her  establishing  herself 
in  the  place.  Her  family  had  renounced  the  spirits, 
and  therefore  her  "  patriarch,"  to  whom  she  could 
rightly  look  for  protection,  became  her  chief  accuser. 
He  went  to  the  governor  of  Chieng  Rai  for  an  order 
forbidding  her  to  settle  there.  But  he  had  his  thirty- 
mile  walk  for  his  trouble.  The  governor  told  him  that 
the  family  was  not  to  be  interfered  with.  How  could 
he  forbid  those  whom  the  King's  edict  allowed? 

Having  failed  with  the  governor,  they  tried  to  draw 
away  the  daughter-in-law.  But  she  said  she  would 
stick  by  her  husband  and  his  family.  Their  religion 
should  be  her  religion,  and  their  God  should  be  her 
God.  The  villagers  then  notified  the  family  that  it 
would  be  held  responsible  for  the  value  of  any  buffalo 
or  elephant  that  might  die  in  the  village.  The  theory 
was  that  the  demons  would  take  vengeance  on  the  vil- 
lage for  allowing  the  trespass  of  an  enemy  on  their 
domains.  But  all  their  efforts  to  shake  the  poor 
woman's  faith  were  futile. 

At  Me  Kawn  village,  from  which  the  delegation  had 
chiefly  come,  of  course  we  were  received  with  a  warm 
welcome.  On  the  recent  visit  of  Nan  Ta,  when  the 
leading  supporters  of  the  temple  became  Christians, 
the  less  religious  families  also  deserted  it.  I  even  saw 
oxen  sheltered  from  the  rain  under  its  roof.  A  club- 
footed  man,  Noi  Taliya  by  name,  a  good  scholar  in 


CHRISTIAN  COMMUNITIES  PLANTED       279 

Ngio,  Burmese,  and  Lao,  had  been  the  life  of  the  tem- 
ple. And  it  is  the  earnest  Buddhist  that  makes  the 
earnest  Christian.  His  son  first  heard  the  Gospel,  and, 
coming  home,  explained  it  to  his  father.  Calling  his 
family  together,  the  father  said  to  them,  "  There  are 
the  spirit  shrines.  Any  one  may  have  them  who 
wishes  to  continue  their  worship."  No  one  making  a 
bid  for  them,  a  bonfire  was  made,  and  the  once  valued 
treasures  all  vanished  in  smoke.  When  he  went  to 
Chieng  Rai  to  announce  his  conversion  to  the  gov- 
ernor and  to  the  Uparat,  he  said  that  he  prayed  all 
the  way  that  he  might  answer  their  questions  dis- 
creetly and  wisely.  He  did  not  know  that  the  gov- 
ernor had  no  more  confidence  in  his  deserted  idols 
and  spirits  than  he  himself  had. 

On  the  evening  of  our  arrival,  the  largest  house  in 
the  village  was  filled  to  overflowing  till  late  in  the 
night.  Before  Sunday  the  people  had  extemporized  a 
chapel  which  afterwards  became  the  foundation  of  the 
Me  Kawn  church.  Two  Sundays  were  spent  in  teach- 
ing these  people  before  we  moved  on  to  Chieng  Rai, 
leaving  the  new  disciples  under  the  oversight  of  Not 
Taliya. 

On  reaching  Chieng  Rai  we  were  invited  by  the  gov- 
ernor to  take  up  our  quarters  in  his  old  residence, 
which  we  did.  It  was  a  better  house  than  his  present 
one,  but  there  had  been  two  deaths  in  it,  and  it  was 
pronounced  unlucky.  He  knew  we  were  not  afraid 
of  ill  luck.  On  the  contrary,  it  was  very  good  luck 
that  we  got  it,  for  the  rains  were  now  falling  daily. 
The  governor  and  Nan  Ta  were  near  relatives  and  very 
intimate  friends  withal.  His  interest  in  us  was  as 
teachers  of  the  only  religion  that  ever  afforded  him  a 
ray  of  hope.     But  on  this  trip  Pii  King,  the  reformed 


280   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

bandit,  and  his  family,  were  the  centre  of  our  interest 
there.  And  it  was  not  long  before  he,  too,  like  Saul 
of  Tarsus,  became  a  striking  illustration  of  the  grace 
of  God. 

A  few  hours  beyond  Chieng  Rai  on  the  road  to  Chieng 
Sen,  was  the  home  of  Ai  Tu.  His  was  the  first  Chris- 
tian family  in  the  province.  He  had  built — in  part 
that  it  might  furnish  a  guest-chamber  for  the  mission- 
ary on  his  visits,  and  in  part  that  it  might  serve  as 
a  chapel  for  worship — the  largest  house  in  all  that 
neighbourhood.  When  we  arrived,  he  had  already  va- 
cated it  for  us,  and  had  moved  his  family  down  into  a 
shed.  A  number  of  families  had  begun  to  attend  wor- 
ship, and  to  keep  the  Sabbath;  but  were  frightened 
away  by  that  ridiculously  stale  story  that  missionaries 
were  making  Christians  in  order  to  carry  them  off  in 
their  ships  to  feed  the  Yaks!  Strange  that  such  a 
palpable  absurdity  should  deceive  any  one;  yet  we 
have  known  whole  villages  to  be  frightened  away  by  it. 

At  Chieng  Sen,  in  the  home  of  Nan  Suwan,  we  were 
at  once  aware  of  being  in  a  Christian  atmosphere — in 
a  consecrated  Christian  family.  That  family  was  a 
city  set  upon  a  hill — a  leaven  in  the  new  city  and 
province.  It  alone  had  given  Christianity  a  good 
name.  The  governor  was  free  to  say  that  if  Chris- 
tianity made  such  men  as  Nan  Suwan,  he  would  like 
to  see  the  whole  country  Christian.  The  influence  of 
the  Girls'  School  in  Chiengmai  was  strongly  reflected  in 
his  daughter,  Kui  Keo.  She  taught  no  regular  school 
other  than  her  Sunday  School;  but  from  time  to  time 
during  the  week  she  taught  the  neighbours.  Young 
men  who  began  by  trying  to  ridicule  her  out  of  her 
religion,  now  treated  her  with  the  greatest  respect. 
We  were  told  that  rude  young  fellows  singing  vulgar 


CHRISTIAN  COMMUNITIES  PLANTED       281 

songs  would  lower  their  voices  when  passing  by  the 
house. 

We  crossed  the  river  in  a  small  boat  to  spend  a  few 
days  in  teaching  four  new  families  of  Christians  on 
the  eastern  side.  One  of  the  men  was  Tao  Rat,  the 
village  ofiScer,  and  another  was  his  son,  Noi  Chai.  The 
latter  became  an  influential  ruling  elder,  and,  like  Nan 
Suwan,  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  church. 

From  Chieng  Sen  we  crossed  the  broad  prairie-like 
plain  westward  to  Ban  Tam.  The  officer  of  the  village 
was  Sen  Ya  Wichai — mentioned  in  the  early  part  of 
this  narrative  as  the  very  first  believer  in  Chiengmai. 
The  journey  was  one  of  the  worst  for  elephants  that 
I  ever  made.  Heavy  rains  had  soaked  the  ground  so 
that  at  every  step  it  seemed  almost  impossible  for 
them  to  pull  their  huge  feet  out  of  their  tracks.  The 
Sen  lived  only  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  a  remarkable 
feature  of  the  mountain  ridge.  The  Me  Tam,  the 
largest  river  in  the  plain,  flows  bodily  out  from  under 
the  mountain,  much  as  does  one  of  the  sources  of  the 
Me  Ping  at  Chieng  Dao. 

It  was  a  great  pleasure  to  spend  a  Sunday  with  our 
now  venerable  Christian  and  his  family.  It  was  a  fam- 
ily of  officers,  his  three  sons  all  being  either  of  the 
grade  of  Tao  or  of  Sen — which  shows  the  esteem  in 
which  the  family  was  held.  But,  unfortunately,  their 
official  position  made  it  more  difficult  for  the  sons  to 
follow  the  example  of  their  father. 

On  Sunday  night  the  rain  came  down  in  torrents, 
reminding  us  that  it  was  better  for  us  to  be  at  home. 
We  started  homeward  early  the  next  morning.  Our 
route  skirted  the  beautiful  mountain  range,  crossing 
brooks  and  the  larger  streams  of  the  Me  Tam  and  the 
Me  Chan.     Already  the  road  had  become  almost  im- 


282    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

passable  except  for  elephants  and  natives  unencum- 
bered with  shoes  or  trousers. 

We  have  already  spoken  of  the  great  mortality  in- 
curred in  the  attempt  to  people  these  new  Lao  states. 
Occasionally  the  straggling  remnant  of  a  family  might 
be  seen  returning.  One  poor  little  boy  awakened  my 
deepest  sympathy.  All  of  his  family  had  died  except 
himself  and  his  brother,  a  monk,  who  were  trying  to 
save  themselves  by  flight  back  to  their  old  home  in 
the  province  of  Chiengmai.  After  I  passed  them  I 
began  to  wonder  whether  the  pale,  weary-faced,  and  ex- 
hausted travellers  would  ever  reach  the  rest  they 
sought.  Then  I  began  to  think  that  here  I  was  enact- 
ing again  the  old  tale  of  the  priest  and  the  Levite 
who  passed  by  on  the  other  side.  At  last  I  could  stand 
it  no  longer.  I  stopped  and  waited  for  them  to  come 
up.  I  offered  the  pitiful  little  skeleton  of  a  boy  a  seat 
with  me  on  the  back  of  the  elephant.  At  first  he  some- 
what distrusted  my  motive,  wondering  what  I  wanted 
to  do  with  him ;  but  he  was  too  weary  to  refuse.  When 
he  revived,  he  proved  to  be  a  veritable  little  chatterbox, 
and  good  company.  I  kept  him  nearly  a  week,  till  we 
entered  the  Chiengmai  plain  at  Doi  Saket.  Only  four 
years  ago,  eleven  children  out  of  five  Christian  fam- 
ilies who  had  settled  in  Wieng  Pa  Pao,  died  during 
the  first  year. 

Returning  through  Chieng  Rai,  we  revisited  the  new 
families  of  Christians  in  that  province.  In  the  city  the 
governor's  wife  asked  us  to  have  worship  in  their 
new  house,  to  which  they  reverently  listened.  When 
we  ended  she  said,  "  Why,  they  pray  for  everybody ! " 
Pli  King,  the  executioner,  was  holding  on  with  a  death- 
grip  to  the  hope  of  salvation  for  the  chief  of  sinners. 
The  case  of  the  apostle  himself,  and  of  the  penitent 


J 


CHRISTIAN  COMMUNITIES  PLANTED       283 

thief,  greatly  encouraged  him.  Nan  Ta  also  was 
greatly  rejoiced  that  his  brother  Sen  Kat  became  a 
believer  on  this  tour. 

On  my  return  I  found  Mr.  Martin  but  little,  if  at  all, 
improved,  by  his  trip.  He  was  so  thoroughly  discour- 
aged that  he  felt  that  he  could  not  face  another  hot 
season.  He  remained  with  us  till  the  end  of  the  rainy 
season,  and  then,  with  his  family,  left  Siam  for  the 
United  States.  I  never  had  felt  so  thoroughly  crushed 
as  I  was  at  his  departure.  During  three  whole  years 
we  had  lived  in  the  same  house,  and  worked  together 
hand  in  hand  in  the  evangelistic  work,  of  which  he  was 
very  fond. 

Dr.  Cheek  already  had  severed  his  official  connection 
with  the  mission,  and  had  gone  into  business  of  his 
own.  But  he  kindly  gave  his  professional  service  to 
the  missionaries,  and  was  ready  to  perform  pressing 
surgical  operations  for  the  natives  who  came  to  the 
hospital. 

I  have  often  wondered  whether  all  foreign  missions 
have  as  many  and  as  rapid  alternations  of  sunshine 
and  shadow,  as  the  Lao  mission.  Our  medical  work 
was  once  more  at  a  standstill;  and  by  the  departure 
of  Mr.  Martin,  the  evangelistic  work  again  was  crip- 
pled. But  at  Hong  Kong  Mr.  Martin  met  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  D.  G.  Collins,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  A.  M.  Cary,  and  Rev. 
W.  C.  Dodd,  on  their  way  out  for  the  Lao  mission,  with 
Rev.  W.  G.  McClure  for  Lower  Siam.  Mrs.  Cary  had 
become  so  exhausted  by  continual  sea-sickness  during 
the  whole  voyage,  that,  on  her  arrival  in  Bangkok, 
many  thought  her  unable  to  endure  the  long  river 
trip  of  six  or  seven  weeks.  Mr.  McClure  offered  to 
exchange  fields  with  the  Carys;  but  Mrs.  Cary,  with 


284   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

true  pluck,  said  that  she  had  been  appointed  to  the 
Lao  mission,  and  to  the  Lao  she  would  go.  But,  alas! 
it  was  to  be  otherwise.  She  became  worse  soon  after 
leaving  Bangkok.  On  Sunday,  January  16th,  1887,  a 
mile  above  Raheng,  she  became  unconscious,  and 
shortly  after  gently  passed  into  her  everlasting  rest. 

It  was  still  a  month's  journey  to  their  destination. 
There  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  to  lay  the  body 
to  rest  in  the  grounds  of  a  monastery.  Who  can  por- 
tray that  parting  scene,  or  adequately  sympathize  wuth 
the  bereaved  husband  and  sister  (Mrs.  Collins),  or  with 
the  other  members  of  the  party,  as  they  performed  the 
last  sad  ofiBces,  and  then  resumed  their  lonesome  jour- 
ney! 

When  the  party  reached  Chiengmai  on  the  17th  of 
February,  they  found  there  only  the  McGilvarys,  Miss 
GriflSn,  and  Miss  Westervelt.  Miss  Cole  had  gone  to 
Bangkok.  But  the  Girls'  School  was  flourishing  un- 
der the  direction  of  the  two  ladies  last  mentioned. 
Former  pupils  of  the  school  were  then  doing  good 
service  in  three  different  provinces  as  teachers.  But 
the  arrival  of  the  new  forces  made  possible  for  the  first 
time  a  Boys'  High  School.  Circumstances  now  were 
much  more  favourable  than  they  were  when  Mr.  Wil- 
son made  the  attempt  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  mis- 
sion. We  now  had  Christian  patrons,  and  there  was  a 
growing  desire  in  the  land  for  education.  Buddhist 
pupils  were  willing  and  anxious  to  attend  our  school. 
Mr.  Collins  preferred  the  educational  work.  As  soon 
as  he  acquired  the  language  suflBciently  well,  he  was 
put  in  charge  of  the  school  for  boys,  and  it  was  soon 
crowded  with  pupils. 

Mr.  Dodd's  preference  was  along  the  line  of  a  Train- 
ing School  for  Christian  workers.     Happily,  the  taste 


CHRISTIAN  COMMUNITIES  PLANTED       285 

and  preference  of  both  these  men  were  along  the  lines 
of  greatest  need.  Meanwhile  Mr.  Dodd  entered  into 
the  evangelistic  work  also  with  a  zeal  that  has  never 
abated.  As  newcomers  see  things  with  different  eyes, 
it  is  always  interesting  to  get  their  first  impressions. 
Mr.  Dodd's  first  experience  is  thus  given  in  a  letter 
to  the  Board  of  June  9th,  1887 : 

"  On  Friday,  June  3d,  Rev.  D.  McGilvary  of  the  Lao  mis- 
sion left  Chiengmai  by  boat  for  a  tour  southward,  taking 
attendants  and  all  necessary  equipments,  accompanied  by  a 
raw  recruit,  and  three  efficient  native  helpers.  We  arrived 
at  our  first  station  about  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  and 
before  bed-time  held  religious  conversation  with  as  many  en- 
quirers as  time  would  permit.  Our  audience  chamber  was 
the  house  of  one  of  our  newly- received  members.  Our  '  out- 
ward and  ordinary  means'  of  attracting  an  audience  was  a 
watch,  two  mariner's  compasses,  a  magnifying  glass,  a  stereo- 
scope with  an  assortment  of  views,  and  a  violin.  The  raw 
recruit  played  the  violin,  and  thus  called  the  audience  to- 
gether. We  used  both  the  other  attractions  to  hold  them 
and  to  gain  their  confidence  and  interest;  and  afterwards 
Dr.  McGilvary  easily  and  naturally  drew  them  into  religious 
conversation.  Soon  the  conversation  became  a  monologue 
of  instruction  in  the  religion  of  the  great  God.  The  violin 
was  no  longer  needed  to  arouse  or  sustain  an  interest. 
Every  day,  and  late  into  the  evening,  the  Doctor  and  the 
three  assistants  conversed;  sometimes  to  quite  an  audience, 
sometimes  to  individual  enquirers. 

"  The  religious  attitude  of  the  people  was  a  revelation  to 
the  newly-arrived  missionary,  and  doubtless  would  be  to 
most  of  God's  people  in  the  United  States.  Nearly  all  of 
these  people  had  heard  of  the  '  religion  of  the  great  God,' 
but  knew  nothing  about  it,  since  the  district  had  never  be- 
fore been  visited  by  a  missionary.  .  .  .  But  their  recep- 
tivity was  marvellous.  .  .  .  Without  exception  these 
Buddhists  confessed  at  the  outset,  or  were  soon  brought 
to  concede,  the  immeasurable  superiority  of  Christianity. 
Many  said,  '  It  is  of  no  use  to  argue.    Your  books  tell  the 


286   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

beginnings  of  things;  ours  do  not.'  On  one  occasion  when 
Dr.  McGilvary  had  finished  reading  and  explaining  the  first 
chapter  of  Genesis,  one  of  his  auditors  remarked  to  his  fel- 
lows, *  There  is  more  real  information  on  that  one  page  than 
in  all  Buddha's  writings.'  The  sense  of  sin  is  universal,  so 
too  is  the  insufliciency  of  the  works  of  merit.  Many  sad 
souls  confessed  that  they  had  long  been  dreading  the  penalty 
for  sins  for  which  they  feared  that  '  merit-making  '  could  not 
atone. 

"  The  results  we  cannot  measure.  We  were  absent  two 
weeks.  Religious  service  or  conversations  were  held  in  more 
than  twenty  different  homes,  and  in  some  of  these  several 
times.  Audiences  varied  from  a  single  enquirer  to  fifty. 
Thus  hundreds  heard  the  gospel  for  the  first  time.  Many 
who  seemed  above  the  suspicion  of  hypocrisy  professed  to 
believe  and  accept  what  they  heard.  .  .  .  One  principal 
reason  for  this  tour  just  now,  was  to  baptize  in  his  own 
home  and  among  his  subjects  the  chief  ofiicer  of  the  district. 
Himself,  his  wife,  and  his  whole  family  were  baptized — a 
most  interesting  household.  The  abbot  of  one  village  mon- 
astery professes  to  accept  Christianity.  For  some  time  he 
has  been  sending  his  parishioners,  including  his  own  sister, 
for  instruction.  There  is  another  district  officer  of  the 
same  rank  as  our  newly-baptized  convert,  a  constant  visitor 
and  deeply  interested.  This  is  a  specimen  tour,  neither  bet- 
ter nor  worse  than  the  average  taken  these  days.  For  the 
last  two  years,  although  most  of  the  time  there  have  been 
but  two  ordained  missionaries  in  the  field,  over  ninety  as- 
cessions  have  been  made  to  the  First  Church." — Church  at 
Home  and  Ahroad,  May,  1888. 

Before  the  short  trip  reported  by  Mr.  Dodd,  I  had 
taken  a  longer  one  to  the  northern  provinces,  going 
over  the  same  ground  which  Mr.  Martin  and  I  had 
travelled  the  season  before.  This  time  I  baptized  thir- 
ty-six adults  and  thirty-two  non-communing  members. 
The  communion  was  administered  eight  times.  I  mar- 
ried two  couples  and  ordained  one  elder.  Each  Sunday 
was  spent  in  villages  where  there  were  already  Chris- 


CHRISTIAN  COMMUNITIES  PLANTED       287 

tians.  This  encouraging  success  was  the  harvest  of 
seed  sown  on  former  tours,  but  gathered  largely 
through  God's  blessing  on  the  work  of  faithful  elders. 
Both  in  Chieng  Rai  and  in  Chieng  Sen  we  might  then 
have  organized  churches  with  a  goodly  number  of 
members  communing  and  non-communing,  and  with 
very  good  material  for  officers.  Nan  Suwan  at  Chieng 
Sen,  like  myself,  never  had  the  gift  of  fluent  speech, 
but  his  reputation  for  sterling  integrity  has  left  a 
mark  that  eloquence  might  envy.  And  Ai  Tu  at  Nilng 
Le  bids  fair  to  be  another  power  in  the  province  of 
Chieng  Rai.  Both  of  them  are  strongly  aided  by  their 
daughters,  the  first-fruits  of  our  Girls'  School. 

During  the  year  1887  the  whole  number  of  adult  ac- 
cessions was  one  hundred  and  seven;  and  one  hun- 
dred and  eleven  non-communing  members  were  added 
to  the  roll,  making  two  hundred  and  eighteen  addi- 
tions to  our  little  flock,  exclusive  of  Lakawn.  As  I 
now  look  back  over  these  years,  it  is  plain  to  me  that 
the  great  lack  of  the  mission  all  the  way  through  has 
been  the  lack  of  well-trained  native  helpers;  and 
for  this  lack  the  mission  itself  is  largely  to  blame. 
Those  who  are  eager  to  accomplish  the  evangelization 
of  the  world  within  the  present  generation,  should  first 
of  all  lay  hold  of  the  present  generation  of  Christians 
in  every  mission  field.  Fill  these  with  enthusiasm, 
qualify  them,  and  send  them  forth,  and  we  have  a 
lever  that  will  lift  the  world. 

From  the  Report  of  the  Board  in  the  same  number 
of  The  Church  at  Home  and  Abroad  cited  above,  we 
quote  the  following: 

"  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Peoples  are  still  left  alone  in  Lakawn,  the 
utmost  picket  of  the  foreign  missionary  line.  Mrs.  Peoples 
has  not  one  lady  for  a  companion;  and  the  doctor  is  dan- 


288    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

gerously  burdened,  bearing  all  alone  the  labour  of  teaching 
and  healing.  For  more  than  two  years  they  have  been 
waiting  for  help.  No  station  under  the  care  of  the  Foreign 
Board  calls  so  loudly  for  reinforcements  as  this.  Again 
and  again  we  thought  we  had  found  a  Christian  couple  for 
Lakawn ;  but  in  each  case  we  have  been  disappointed.  Single 
men  could  have  been  sent,  but  it  is  very  much  to  be  desired 
that  the  new  missionary  going  there  should  be  married. 
Dr.  Peoples'  medical  work  has  won  for  him  increasing 
friendliness  throughout  the  city.  ,  .  .  Mrs.  McGilvary  has 
revised  the  Lao  version  of  Matthew's  Gospel,  and  has  trans- 
lated for  the  first  time  about  half  of  the  book  of  Acts. 
The  Scriptures  have  had  considerable  circulation  among  the 
Lao,  but  only  in  the  Siamese  tongue.  .  .  .  Dr.  Gary  had 
no  sooner  reached  the  field  than  through  the  assistance  of 
Dr.  McGilvary  and  Norwood  McGilvary,  a  young  lad,  act- 
ing as  interpreters,  he  was  able  to  begin  work  with  regular 
hours  for  receiving  patients,  and  for  surgical  practice.  .  .  . 
Mr.  Collins  has  made  a  beginning  in  the  much-needed 
school  for  boys. 

"  Only  one  other  mission  now  under  the  care  of  our 
Presbyterian  Church  has  during  the  last  year  shown  as  much 
growth,  in  proportion  to  the  missionary  force  employed,  as 
the  Lao  mission.  .  .  .  It  is  never  out  of  place  to  remind  our 
Presbyterian  Church  that  it  is  to  her  alone  that  God  has 
committed  the  evangelization  of  the  Lao  tribes." 


XXVI 
A  FOOTHOLD  IN  LAMPIJN 

AT  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  shortly  before  the 
l\  opening  of  the  year  1888,  a  committee  consist- 
•^  -^  ing  of  Dr.  Peoples,  Mr.  Dodd,  and  myself,  was 
appointed  to  organize  two  churches,  one  in  Chieng  Sen 
and  one  in  Chieng  Rai,  if  the  way  were  found  open 
to  do  so.  We  also  arranged  that  Mrs.  McGilvary 
should  accompany  our  son  Norwood  as  far  as  Bang- 
kok on  his  way  to  the  United  States.  And  both  ex- 
peditions were  to  start  on  the  same  day,  Monday, 
February  7th.  x^ 

To  ease  somewhat  the  strain  of  such  a  parting,  I 
took  an  earlier  leave,  and  went  on  Saturday  with  Mr. 
Dodd  to  spend  Sunday  with  the  church  at  Me  Dawk 
Deng.  That  evening  we  performed  a  marriage  cere- 
mony in  the  church.  The  next  day  thirteen  adults  were 
received  into  the  church — nine  by  baptism  and  four 
who  were  children  of  the  church.  On  Monday  Mrs.  Mc- 
Gilvary and  I  exchanged  our  last  good-byes  by  note, 
and  both  parties  got  off  on  Tuesday  morning.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Peoples,  starting  from  Lakawn,  made  the  first 
stage  of  their  journey  separately  from  us  to  a  ren- 
dezvous at  the  Christian  village  of  Me  Kawn,  twelve 
miles  south  of  Chieng  Rai. 

At  our  next  Christian  village  another  wedding  was 
waiting  for  us,  but  the  course  of  true  love  did  not  run 
smooth.     The  bride  belonged  to  a  well-to-do  Christian 


290   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

family ;  but  no  member  of  it  could  read  the  Scriptures. 
They,  therefore,  "  redeemed "  a  Christian  family  for 
four  hundred  rupees,  in  order  to  secure  the  services  of 
the  son  as  a  sort  of  Levite  in  the  family,  and  to  teach 
the  eldest  daughter  to  read.  Naturally,  the  two  young 
people  fell  in  love  with  each  other.  That  was  a  con- 
tingency the  mother  had  not  planned  for,  and  a  dif- 
ficulty arose.     She  asked,  ''  If  I  take  Nan for  a 

son-in-law,  where  do  my  four  hundred  rupees  come  in?  " 
It  was  all  in  vain  to  tell  her  that  she  got  her  pay  in 
a  good  son-in-law.  She  said  he  was  hers  already  till 
his  debt  was  paid.  At  last  she  so  far  relented  as  to  al- 
low the  ceremony  to  take  place,  but  she  would  not  see 
it  performed.  We  invited  the  father  and  the  rest  of 
the  family  and  the  neighbours  into  our  tent,  where, 
to  their  great  joy,  the  two  were  made  man  and  wife. 
The  implacable  mother  lived  to  see  that  she  had  not 
made  a  bad  bargain,  after  all. 

At  Md  Kawn  we  were  joined  by  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Peo- 
ples, and  we  had  a  good  Sabbath  with  the  little  flock 
there.  Our  club-footed  man  had  looked  after  it  well, 
and  he  became  later  a  good  elder  and  a  fine  discipli- 
narian. About  this  time  I  was  taken  with  a  severe  at- 
tack of  indigestion,  from  which  I  did  not  recover  for 
many  months — the  only  continued  sickness  from  which 
I  have  suffered  in  all  my  connection  with  the  Lao 
mission. 

On  reaching  Chieng  Rai,  we  found  our  good  friend 
the  governor  mourning  the  death  of  his  wife,  the  same 
who,  when  we  last  saw  her,  invited  us  to  worship  in 
her  house.  It  was  a  pleasure  to  point  the  bereaved 
man  to  the  divine  Comforter,  and  we  are  fain  to  be- 
lieve that  our  words  were  not  in  vain.  He  was  still 
anxious  to  have  the  mission  station  established,  which 


A  FOOTHOLD  IN  LAMPUN  291 

we,  unfortunately,  could  not  yet  promise.  The  Chao 
Uparat  invited  Dr.  Peoples  to  lecture  with  his  magic 
lantern,  and  to  have  worship  in  his  residence,  where  we 
had  a  crowded  audience.  We  did  not  organize  a 
church  in  Chieng  Rai,  however,  partly  because  the  two 
Christian  villages,  equidistant  from  the  city  north 
and  south,  could  not  agree  on  the  best  place  of  meet- 
ing. But  we  found  the  way  open  in  Chieng  S4n,  and 
did  organize  a  church  there,  in  Nan  Suwan's  house, 
on  the  very  bank  of  the  Me  Kong,  and  with  one-half  of 
its  members  living  on  the  other  shore. 

Dr.  Peoples  had  left  a  large  practice  in  Lakawn,  and 
was  obliged  to  return.  Mr.  Dodd  returned  with  them 
to  Lakawn,  and  thence  to  Chiengmai.  I  had  come  un- 
trammelled, to  remain  as  long  as  duty  called.  It  seemed 
very  desirable  to  follow  up  the  impressions  already 
made  on  that  community.  But  I  was  not  well,  and  a 
week's  delay  found  me  no  better.  Thinking  that  a 
change  might  be  beneficial,  I  crossed  the  plain  to  Sen 
Ya  Wichai's  home  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  It 
was  a  hard  day's  ride,  and  I  became  worse  on  the  way. 
On  reaching  my  destination  I  could  hardly  stand, 
Resting  there  on  my  back  a  few  days  without  improve- 
ment, it  seemed  my  first  duty  to  get  to  a  physician  as 
soon  as  possible,  or,  at  least,  make  the  effort  to  do  so. 
Most  of  the  way  I  could  stop  at  night  either  with  or 
near  Christian  families.  This  I  did,  and  so  reached 
Chiengmai  on  April  14th. 

During  my  absence  the  building  of  the  Boys'  High 
School  was  completed ;  and  the  school  was  opened  under 
the  direction  of  Mr.  Collins  on  March  19th,  with  an  en- 
rollment of  forty-five  boys,  nearly  all  children  of  Chris- 
tian parents.  In  June  Dr.  Wilson  reached  Chiengmai 
on  his  return  from  the  United  States;  and  with  him 


292    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

came  Miss  Fleeson,  destined  with  the  Doctor  to  join  the 
Peoples  at  Lakawn,  and  Miss  Belle  Eakin  (now  Mrs. 
Dodd),  for  the  Girls'  School  in  Chiengmai.  Miss  Grif- 
fin was  already  gone  on  her  furlough. 

The  building  for  the  Girls'  School  had  long  been 
in  process  of  construction.  Builders  and  plans  had 
been  several  times  changed,  till  at  last  Dr.  Cheek  took 
the  contract,  and  finished  it  in  the  summer  of  1888.  It 
has  served  its  purpose  admirably  these  many  years,  and 
we  then  thought  it  would  do  for  all  time.  But  though 
the  lot  then  seemed  amply  large,  it  proves  now  entirely 
too  small  for  the  needs  of  the  school.  Moreover,  it  is 
impossible  to  enlarge  it.  On  its  south  side  runs  the 
most  travelled  road  in  the  country ;  while  on  the  east 
the  land  is  owned  by  a  wealthy  official,  who  would  not 
sell  at  any  price. 

Our  congregations  had  grown  till  a  church  building 
became  a  necessity  even  more  urgent  than  a  school- 
house.  The  first  mission  dwelling-house  was  planned 
in  part  with  reference  to  such  need,  its  largest  room 
long  being  used  for  Sunday  worship.  Then  a  small 
temporary  chapel  took  its  place.  After  that  a  larger 
teak  double  dwelling  was  bought.  That,  however, 
would  not  hold  more  than  two  hundred  persons — not 
more  than  half  of  our  largest  congregations  at  the 
present  day.  Then  for  a  time  we  worshipped  in  the 
unfinished  building  for  the  Girls'  School.  When,  at 
last,  that  was  finished,  it  was  needed  for  its  original 
purpose,  and  we  again  must  move.  It  was  then  de- 
cided that  we  must  have  a  church,  and  one  worthy  of 
our  cause — such  as  would  attract  rather  than  repel 
both  rulers  and  people.  So  one  Sunday  afternoon  we 
held  a  meeting  of  the  congregation  to  take  steps  for 
building  it.    We  were  delighted   to  see  the  interest 


A  FOOTHOLD  IN  LAMPUN  293 

manifested  in  the  enterprise.  Pii  Kawng,  an  aged 
slave  of  the  Prince,  laid  down  a  silver  rupee,  which 
was  all  the  money  she  possessed — and  it  was  the  very 
first  money  received  toward  the  building.  The  church 
was  completed  by  the  end  of  this  year. 

We  had  continued  evidence  of  the  friendship  of 
Prince  Intanon,  and  even  of  his  growing  interest  in 
our  work.  One  Sunday,  in  answer  to  an  invitation 
given  by  Mrs.  Cheek,  he  attended  our  communion 
service,  conducted  that  day  by  Mr.  Wilson.  Although 
he  arrived  an  hour  and  a  half  too  soon,  he  remained 
all  through  the  long  service,  and  bowed  as  he  took 
his  leave,  just  when  the  communion  cups  were  about 
to  be  passed.  On  the  day  of  our  daughter's  marriage 
in  Statesville,  North  Carolina,  he  and  the  High  Com- 
missioner attended  a  reception  given  in  honour  of  the 
event.  The  Prince  had  known  her  as  a  child,  and 
seemed  much  interested.  "  Is  it  this  very  night  that 
the  marriage  takes  place?"  he  asked.  The  reception 
was  a  very  pleasant  affair.  Though  my  wife  was  still 
in  Bangkok,  Miss  Fleeson  and  Miss  Eakin  entered  with 
all  their  hearts  into  the  thing,  and,  with  the  assistance 
of  Mr.  Dodd  and  Mr.  Collins,  carried  it  through  in 
splendid  shape.  After  refreshments  we  had  charades 
and  other  games.  It  was  amusing  to  see  the  look  of 
surprise  on  the  face  of  the  Prince  when  the  charades 
were  played. — "  What  are  they  doing?  "  "  What  does 
that  mean  ?  "  "I  don't  understand."  But  the  ^game 
was  quite  too  recondite  to  be  explained  to  him.  So, 
after  the  first  charade.  His  Highness  and  his  party  took 
their  leave,  assuring  us  that  they  had  enjoyed  the  even- 
ing very  much. 

Dr.  Wilson  and  Miss  Fleeson  presently  journeyed  on 
to  their  post  at  Lakawn.     The  governor  there  gave  the 


294    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

mission  a  very  desirable  plot  of  ground  for  the  new 
buildings  which  would  be  required,  saying,  "  I  am  glad 
to  have  you  come.  It  would  be  a  shame,  when  you 
come  to  live  in  our  country,  if  the  government  did  not 
do  something  to  make  you  comfortable." 

Scarcely  less  important  than  the  opening  of  the 
new  station  in  Lakawn,  was  the  opening  of  permanent 
work  in  Lampiin,  the  largest  and  most  important  sub- 
station of  Chiengmai.  Lampiin  is  a  little  gem  of  a 
walled  city  in  the  same  great  plain  as  Chiengmai,  and 
only  eighteen  miles  distant  to  the  south.  From  the 
first  settlement  of  the  country,  however,  it  has  been 
a  separate  state,  yet  governed  by  a  branch  of  the  same 
ruling  race. 

We  have  seen  that  the  new  governor  of  Lampun  was 
friendly  to  the  mission  and  the  missionaries.  The 
opening  of  the  work  in  Ban  Pen  and  other  important 
villages  near  it,  rendered  it  almost  essential  to  have  a 
footing  in  Lampun  itself.  After  some  negotiation  we 
secured  a  suitable  lot,  the  grounds  of  the  second  gov- 
ernor recently  deceased.  We  purchased  from  the  fam- 
ily the  land  with  the  old  residence  and  the  stockade. 
But  presently  the  family  became  alarmed  lest  they  had 
been  too  hasty  in  selling  it  to  foreigners,  and  brought 
back  the  money,  begging  us  to  restore  the  land.  They 
brought,  also,  a  message  from  the  governor,  saying  that 
he  wanted  the  residence  and  the  stockade  himself,  but 
would  give  us  the  rest  of  the  land.  It  was  to  our  in- 
terest to  keep  on  good  terms  with  him,  and  we  agreed 
to  the  arrangement.  We  got  what  we  wanted,  a  good 
station,  and  we  retained,  and  probably  increased  the 
governor's  friendship. 

To  make  possession  sure,  I  purchased  a  newly-built 
house  which  had  come  to  be  regarded  as  unlucky,  be- 


REV.    JONATHAN     WILSON,    D.  1). 
1898 


A  FOOTHOLD  IN  LAMPUN  295 

cause  the  owner's  wife  had  suddenly  died  in  it.  Hav- 
ing arranged  to  have  the  house  moved  and  set  up  on 
the  lot,  I  was  about  to  return  to  Chiengmai,  thinking 
that  there  was  nothing  more  to  do,  when  I  was  sent 
for  by  the  chief  executive  officer  of  the  Court.  He  said 
that  the  governor,  indeed,  had  given  us  the  place,  but 
the  Court  wished  to  make  one  proviso.  He  begged  that 
I  would  sign  a  paper  promising  in  few  words  that  if 
the  government  at  any  time  should  need  it,  we  would 
give  it  up.  The  governor  was  growing  old,  and  they 
themselves  would  be  held  responsible-  I  saw  at  once 
that  such  a  step  would  put  it  in  the  power  of  any  one 
to  oust  us.  A  need  might  be  feigned,  and  yet  we  should 
be  powerless  to  withstand  it.  I  was  perfectly  dum- 
founded.  My  first  thought  was  to  go  directly  to  the 
governor.  But  presently  I  bethought  me  of  the  terms 
on  which  H.  R.  H.  Prince  Bijit,  the  brother  of  His 
Majesty,  had  given  to  the  mission  the  fine  lot  for  its 
hospital.  The  lot  was  given  in  perpetuity  on  condi- 
tion that  it  be  used  for  medical  and  missionary  pur- 
poses only.  As  long  as  it  was  so  used,  it  was  ours. 
But  it  could  not  be  sold,  or  used  for  other  purposes, 
without  forfeiture  to  the  Prince.  The  thought  came  to 
me  as  an  inspiration.  I  told  the  officer  of  that  written 
deed.  ''  Very  well,"  said  he.  "  If  you  have  such  a 
paper  as  that,  show  it  to  me,  and  I  will  give  you  one 
like  it  for  this  lot." 

The  difficulty  was  solved.  A  swift  footman  was 
despatched  to  Chiengmai  asking  Mr.  Martin  to  send  me 
at  once  a  copy  of  the  Prince's  deed  of  gift.  Next  morn- 
ing it  came,  and  I  took  it  immediately  to  the  Court. 
The  officer's  surprise  was  evident.  He  took  it  and 
read  it  carefully  through.  His  word  was  given.  After 
a  moment's  thought  he  said,  "  That  is  all  right.     It 


296   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

will  relieve  me  of  all  responsibility."  Then  he  called 
up  his  clerk  to  copy  its  terms  and  execute  the  new 
deed.  The  land  was  ours  to  use  as  long  as  we  should 
use  it  for  the  purposes  specified;  and  that  I  hoped 
would  be  until  the  millennium!  With  a  light  heart  I 
was  soon  aboard  my  boat  and  homeward  bound. 

When  the  house  had  been  removed  and  set  up  on  the 
lot,  Mr.  Collins  and  I  went  down  and  spent  a  week 
there,  with  interested  audiences  every  night.  It  at 
once  became  an  important  out-station  of  the  Chiengmai 
mission.  In  the  meantime  Mr.  Dodd  had  already  col- 
lected some  twenty  students  for  his  training-class,  but 
without  any  quarters  for  them  in  Chiengmai.  Later 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodd  were  put  in  charge  of  the  station, 
and  the  Training  School  was  moved  over  to  Lampun. 
When  the  Lampun  church  was  organized,  its  charter 
members  numbered  nearly  two  hundred.  It  is  now 
the  mother  of  two  other  churches.  Scarcity  of  men  in 
the  mission,  openings  in  other  places,  and  other  causes 
have  prevented  the  Lampiin  station  from  being  con- 
tinuously manned.  But  now,  with  such  efiScient  work- 
ers there  as  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Freeman,  it  has  an  important 
future  before  it,  as  a  sub-station  of  Chiengmai. 

Meanwhile  my  own  sickness  had  continued,  with 
several  relapses.  A  minor  surgical  operation  had  so 
delayed  my  recovery  that  Dr.  Gary  now  advised  a 
change  and  rest  in  a  boat  trip  to  Bangkok.  After  the 
departure  of  our  son  to  the  United  States,  my  wife 
had  remained  in  Bangkok  for  a  visit,  and  was  soon  to 
return.  The  telegraph  line  which  the  Siamese  govern- 
ment had  recently  completed,  enabled  me  to  wire  to 
her  to  wait  for  me  to  come  and  bring  her  back.  Dr. 
Gary  himself,  who  had  never  recovered  from  the  shock 
occasioned  by  the  tragic  death  of  Mrs.  Gary,  and  who 


A  FOOTHOLD  IN  LAMPUN  297 

was  never  well  during  his  whole  stay  in  the  mission,  de- 
cided to  accompany  me  as  far  as  Raheng. 

At  Paknam  Po  I  left  my  boat,  and  took  passage  for 
Bangkok  by  river  steamer,  thus  saving  seven  days. 
After  remaining  in  Bangkok  only  three  nights,  my 
wife  and  1  took  passage  in  the  same  steamer  on  her 
return  trip,  and  rejoined  our  boat  at  the  forks.  The 
water  was  at  its  best  stage,  and  we  passed  up  some  of 
the  rapids  without  knowing  that  they  were  there.  But 
my  trouble  had  not  left  me.  A  low  diet  and  long  ill- 
ness had  left  me  thin  and  weak.  The  round  trip  oc- 
cupied only  two  months.  Our  last  Sunday  was  at  Pak 
Bawng,  two  days  below  Chiengmai.  There  we  held  a 
communion  service  with  the  Christian  families,  and  a 
new  family  was  baptized. 

Three  miles  to  the  east  is  Ban  Pen,  the  village  which 
has  figured  in  a  previous  chapter.  The  Christians 
there  had  long  been  asking  for  a  visit,  which  my  own 
sickness  and  want  of  time  on  the  part  of  others  ren- 
dered it  impossible  to  make.  On  Monday  morning  I 
decided  to  take  the  risk  and  visit  it.  With  some  mis- 
givings I  saw  my  wife's  boat  move  off  and  leave  me— 
burning,  so  to  speak,  my  bridges  behind  me.  The 
whole  country  was  flooded.  Discarding  shoes  and 
stockings,  I  made  my  way  on  foot,  weak  as  I  was, 
through  water,  across  ditches,  or  along  the  narrow 
ridges  of  rice-fields,  and  finally  reached  Ban  Pen  in 
safety. 

And  what  a  week  I  spent  in  that  neighbourhood! 
At  Nawng  Siu,  a  village  two  miles  distant  from  Ban 
Pen,  there  were  six  families  of  professed  believers 
whom  Dr.  Dodd  and  I  had  visited  the  season  before — 
almost  swimming  at  times  to  reach  them  in  their  scat- 
tered homes.     Their  admission  was  postponed  at  that 


298    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

time  until  they  should  have  had  further  instruction. 
To  these  I  specially  addressed  myself.  During  the 
week  our  faithful  elder,  Nan  Ta,  came  down  to  assist 
me  in  the  work.  On  Friday  evening  the  session  met 
at  Nawng  STu  to  examine  and  instruct  these  new 
converts,  and  again  on  Saturday  morning,  closing 
finally  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  with  baptism 
and  the  Lord's  Supper.  On  counting  up  the  numbers, 
it  was  found  that  twenty  adults  and  seventeen  chil- 
dren had  been  baptized.  Among  them  was  an  aged 
couple  with  their  children,  grandchildren,  and  great- 
grandchildren. It  was  a  memorable  sight.  The  Sab- 
bath was  spent  at  Ban  Pen,  where  seven  more  adults 
and  one  child  were  baptized.  On  Monday  I  made  my 
way  back  to  the  boat  as  I  had  come,  and  reached  home 
on  Tuesday.  And  now  for  the  strange  part  of  the 
story.  /  reached  home  well.  My  week's  wading  in  the 
water,  and  the  hard  work,  had  done  what  medicine  and 
doctors  and  a  long  boat  trip  had  failed  to  accomplish ! 

But  a  new  disappointment  awaited  me.  Before  I 
reached  home,  Dr.  Gary  had  resigned.  His  short 
career  is  one  of  the  mysteries  to  be  explained  in  the 
great  beyond.  A  consecrated  physician,  he  had  given 
his  life  to  the  Lao  people.  Grushed  by  his  tragic  be- 
reavement on  the  way  out,  and  with  a  constitution 
never  strong,  he  contended  manfully  for  two  years 
against  the  debilitating  effects  of  a  malarial  climate. 
But  at  last  he  had  to  give  up  the  fight.  His  work  had 
been  successful.  "  He  saved  others ;  himself  he  could 
not  save ! " 

His  departure  threw  on  me  again  the  oversight  of 
the  medical  work.  But  this  time  most  of  the  dispens- 
ing of  medicine  to  the  natives  fell  on  Ghanta,  a  protege 
of  my  own,  who  had  had  good  training  under  two  physi- 


A  FOOTHOLD  IN  LAMPUN  299 

cians.  Meanwhile  Dr.  Cheek  looked  after  the  mission 
families,  and,  as  already  stated,  was  always  ready  to 
respond  to  an  urgent  call  in  the  hospital.  My  time 
was  largely  given,  therefore,  to  the  evangelistic  work, 
to  instructing  Nan  Ta  and  other  elders,  and  to  teach- 
ing enquirers  and  others  to  read  in  Siamese,  first  the 
Shorter  Catechism,  and  then  a  Gospel. 

The  growth  of  the  Chiengmai  church,  though  not 
phenomenal,  was  very  healthy  and  very  uniform 
throughout  the  year.  There  were  accessions  every 
month  save  one,  amounting  in  all  to  one  hundred  and 
sixty  souls.  At  the  end  of  the  year  Miss  I.  A.  GriflQn 
returned  from  furlough,  and  served  a  very  useful  term 
until  1896,  when  she  retired  greatly  missed.  At 
Lakawn,  Rev.  Hugh  Taylor  and  his  wife  began  a 
twenty  years'  course  of  evangelistic  work  carried  on 
w^ith  indefatigable  zeal,  while  Miss  Fleeson  was  no  less 
zealous  and  successful  in  laying  the  foundation  of  a 
Girls'  School,  destined  to  be  a  power  in  that  province. 


XXVII 
A  PRISONER  OF  JESUS  CHRIST 

WE  have  had  frequent  occasion  gratefully  to 
record  the  good  will  of  the  Siamese  govern- 
ment, and  of  its  commissioners  and  repre- 
sentatives, towards  our  mission.  In  all  its  history  the 
only  exception  to  this  uniform  friendliness  was  in  the 
case  of  the  Commissioner  who,  in  1889,  succeeded 
Praya  Tep  Worachun.  The  Boys'  School  was  on  an 
old  deserted  monastery-site  given  by  the  Prince  to  Dr. 
Peoples  for  a  medical  or  a  mission  compound.  An 
old  ruined  chedi  or  pagoda  was  still  standing  on  it. 
Such  lots,  deserted  by  the  monks,  were  then  regarded 
as  abodes  of  the  spirits,  and  on  such  the  natives  dared 
not  live.  In  preparing  for  the  school  buildings,  the 
debris  about  the  foot  of  the  chedi  had  been  dug 
away.  One  of  the  early  acts  of  the  new  Commissioner 
was  to  send  a  written  notice  to  the  mission  that  it  was 
improper  to  use  old  Buddhist  shrines  for  purposes 
other  than  those  for  which  they  were  originally  built; 
and  he  gave  us  notice  that  we  were  to  have  three  months 
in  which  to  find  other  quarters.  But  as  no  other  lot 
was  offered  in  its  place,  we  remained  quiet,  and  that 
was  the  last  we  heard  of  it. 

Another  incident,  occurring  soon  after,  was  more 

serious,  and  gave  us  a  great  deal  of  anxiety;  for  it 

came  near  costing  the  life  of  one  of  our  best  native 

assistants.     A  deputation  from  some  twelve  or  fifteen 

300 


A  PRISONER  OF  JESUS  CHRIST  301 

families  in  Chieng  Dao  came  to  us  with  a  request  that 
a  native  assistant  be  sent  up  to  teach  them.  Krii  Nan 
Ta  went  up,  and  they  became  believers,  but  required 
much  further  instruction.  We  selected  Noi  Siri,  the 
most  prudent  of  our  elders,  for  the  task.  We  charged 
him  specially,  inasmuch  as  it  was  in  a  province  new 
to  our  work,  to  use  great  caution  and  give  no  just 
cause  of  offence  to  the  rulers  or  to  others.  He  re- 
mained there  a  month,  and  then  was  recalled  by  the 
illness  of  his  wife.  He  stopped  at  the  mission  to  re- 
port progress,  giving  a  good  account  of  the  conduct  and 
diligence  of  the  new  Christians. 

Great  was  our  surprise,  then,  in  a  few  hours  to  learn 
that  Noi  Siri  had  been  arrested,  put  in  heavy  irons, 
and  thrown  into  prison  on  a  charge  of  treason  against 
the  government.  Mr.  Collins,  Mr.  Dodd,  and  I  called 
upon  the  Commissioner  to  enquire  the  cause  of  his  ar- 
rest. The  Commissioner  replied,  Yes;  he  had  him  ar- 
rested on  the  grave  charge  of  disloyalty  in  teaching 
the  converts  that  they  were  exempt  from  governmenjt 
work.  Such  teaching  was  treason;  and  if  the  charge 
were  true,  the  penalty  was  death.  It  was  not,  there- 
fore, a  bailable  offence.  At  the  same  time,  he  said,  no 
specifications  had  been  forwarded.  He  would  sum- 
mon the  accusers,  and  the  man  should  have  a  fair  trial, 
and  should  have  the  privilege  of  producing  any  wit- 
nesses he  pleased  in  his  defence.  That  was,  of  course, 
all  that  we  could  ask,  save  to  beg  that  the  trial  be 
hastened  as  far  as  possible — to  which  he  consented. 
Krii  Nan  Ta  was  allowed  to  see  the  prisoner  in  his 
cell.  From  him  he  learned  that  so  far  was  the  accusa- 
tion from  being  true,  that  he  had  taught  the  Christians 
that  they  were  not  exempt  from  government  work;  and 
that,  furthermore,  no  call  had  been  made  on  them  for 


302   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

service  while  he  was  there.  We  sent  immediately  for 
all  the  Christian  men  to  come  down. 

After  some  delay  the  prisoner  was  called  into  court 
and  examined.  According  to  Siamese  custom,  his  ex- 
amination was  taken  down  in  writing. 

"  Are  3^ou  Noi  Siri,  who  has  been  teaching  in  Chieng 
Dao?" 

"  Yes." 

"  When  did  you  go  there  to  teach  ?  " 

"  On  the  fourth  of  the  third  waning  moon." 

"  Have  you  taught  that  Christians  are  exempt  from 
public  service?  " 

"  No.  On  the  contrary,  I  taught  that,  as  Siamese 
subjects.  Christians  are  to  pay  their  taxes  and  perform 
all  the  duties  of  other  subjects." 

The  testimony  of  the  governor  of  Chieng  Dao,  his 
accuser,  was  then  taken  in  his  presence.  Among  the 
questions  asked  him  were  these : 

"  Can  you  state  any  particular  time  and  place  when 
the  Christians  were  called  to  do  government  work  and 
refused  ?  " 

"  Yes.  I  called  a  man  or  two,  and  they  did  not 
obey." 

"When  was  that  call  made?" 

"  On  the  fourth  day  of  the  third  waxing  moon." 

This  was  the  only  specification  which  the  governor 
gave.  The  date,  it  will  be  noted,  was  fifteen  days 
earlier  than  that  of  Noi  Siri's  arrival  in  Chieng  Dao. 
If  the  statement  were  true,  it  might  have  subjected 
the  persons  who  were  summoned  to  trial  and  punish- 
ment for  disloyalty ;  but  it  absolutely  cleared  Noi  Siri. 
An  upright  judge  would  have  dismissed  the  case.  The 
Christian  witnesses  were  in  attendance  to  testify  as 
to  the  nature  of  the  instruction  they  received;  but 


A  PRISONER  OF  JESUS  CHRIST  303 

were  not  given  the  opportunity  to  do  so.  The  accused 
man  was  remanded  to  prison.  We  waited,  but  nothing 
was  done.  We  called  once  more  on  the  Commissioner ; 
but  were  told  that  the  case  had  been  referred  to 
Bangkok,  and  he  must  wait  for  a  reply.  We  waited 
again.  At  last  we  made  a  written  appeal  on  his  be- 
half, and  in  answer  were  told  that  the  case  was  one 
with  their  own  subjects,  and  we  had  nothing  to  do  with 
it.  Meantime  Noi  Siri  had  become  quite  ill,  and  all 
that  we  could  do  was  to  get  him  transferred  from  his 
dungeon  to  the  common  prison. 

Eight  months  after  this,  when  Mr.  Dodd  went  down 
to  Bangkok  to  be  married  to  Miss  Eakin,  he  made, 
through  the  United  States  Minister,  an  appeal  to  the 
Prince  Minister  of  the  North,  who  promised  an  im- 
mediate order  for  his  release.  As  soon  as  we  were  as- 
sured of  that,  we  went  to  the  resident  Prince  in  Chieng- 
mai,  H.  R.  H.  Prince  Sonapandit,  who  promised  that 
the  order  should  be  issued  at  once.  The  next  day  we 
called  on  the  Commissioner  to  remind  him  of  the 
Prince's  promise;  but  he  and  the  Judge  had  just  gone 
out  for  a  stroll  in  the  city.  It  was  then  Saturday 
afternoon.  Next  day  was  our  communion  service,  and 
I  was  determined  to  have  Noi  Siri  present.  To  do  this 
I  had  to  follow  those  men  up  at  once.  I  was  a  fast 
walker,  and,  when  necessary,  could  run.  My  race 
after  them  was  the  ludicrous  sequel  of  the  case.  Two 
high  officials  closing  their  office  and  escaping,  in  order 
to  keep  their  victim  in  chains  another  night,  pursued 
by  swifter  feet,  and  overtaken  in  the  street !  The 
Judge  acknowledged  that  the  Prince  had  given  the 
order.  He  would  attend  to  it  to-morrow.  Since  to- 
morrow would  be  Sunday,  I  need  not  come.  But  I 
knew  that  we  should  not  see  Noi  Siri  in  time  for  our 


304    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

worship  unless  I  went  for  him.  So  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing I  called  once  more  on  the  Judge,  who  again  said 
that  I  need  not  wait;  but  I  had  to  tell  him  that  I 
Would  not  return  till  I  saw  his  release.  So  the  pris- 
oner was  called,  and  I  saw  the  fetters  taken  off  from 
his  ankles. 

The  second  bell  was  ringing  when  I  entered  the 
church;  but  Noi  Siri  was  with  me.  The  congregation 
rose  and  sang  the  long  metre  doxology.  There  were 
not  many  dry  eyes  in  the  room.  Mr.  Dodd  preached 
from  the  text,  "  And  we  know  that  all  things  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God."  Among  the 
converts  who  then  stood  up  to  make  a  public  pro- 
fession of  faith  was  Nang  Su,  a  daughter  of  Noi  Siri — 
and  this  happy  coincidence  was  no  planning  of 
ours. 

Noi  Siri's  faith  had  been  tried  by  fire,  and  he  had 
come  forth  from  the  furnace  as  pure  gold.  In  addition 
to  his  own  imprisonment  and  distress,  his  wife  had 
been  for  months  very  low  with  sickness,  and  one  of  his 
grandchildren  had  died  during  the  interval.  But  from 
his  prison  cell  he  had  written  to  his  family  not  to 
let  their  faith  be  shaken  either  by  his  trials  or  by 
their  own.  During  the  eight  months  and  ten  days  of 
his  imprisonment,  one  hundred  and  thirty-three  per- 
sons— his  daughter  closing  the  list — were  received  into 
church  membership.  A  European  in  employ  of  the 
government,  who  had  cognizance  of  the  whole  case, 
afterwards  said  to  me,  "  It  might  be  well  to  get  the 
Commissioner  to  imprison  a  few  more  Christians !  "  A 
history  of  the  case  was  afterwards  published  by  our 
Board  in  a  leaflet  entitled,  "  The  Laos  Prisoner." 

Before  the  close  of  the  year  there  was  an  event  which 
for  the  time  came  near  to  overthrowing  the  government. 


A  PRISONER  OF  JESUS  CHRIST  305 

A  new  tax,  levied  chiefly  on  areca  trees,  caused  much 
exasperation  throughout  the  country.  As  usual,  the 
tax  was  farmed  out  to  Chinese  for  collection.  The 
local  oflScers  in  various  districts  formed  a  coalition  to 
resist  to  the  uttermost  the  collection  of  the  tax.  Of 
course,  this  could  not  be  allowed,  since  the  collectors 
were  the  agents  of  the  government.  The  resistance  was 
centred  chiefly  in  the  districts  to  the  eastward  of 
the  city,  where  Praya  Pap,  who  had  some  reputation 
as  a  soldier,  went  so  far  as  to  gathw  a  considerable 
force  of  the  insurgents  within  a  few  miles  of  Chieng- 
raai.  A  day  even  was  set  for  their  attack  on  the  city. 
If  they  had  made  a  dash  then,  they  could  easily 
have  taken  it,  for  the  sympathy  of  the  people  was 
wholly  with  them,  and  the  government  was  unpre- 
pared. 

Our  house  was  only  two  hundred  yards  away  from 
the  Chinese  distillery,  which  was  the  objective  of  the 
insurgents.  The  residence  of  the  Commissioner  and 
that  of  the  Siamese  Prince  Sonapandit  were  nearly  op- 
posite us  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  Our  position 
was  further  compromised  by  the  fact  that  the  wives 
and  children  of  a  number  of  influential  Chinese  had 
almost  forcibly  taken  refuge  in  our  compound.  In 
any  case,  we  should  have  been  in  a  position  of  great 
danger  from  the  guns  on  the  other  side  of  the  river 
aimed  at  the  distillery.  We  were  strongly  advised 
to  take  refuge  in  the  British  Consulate,  whose  shelter 
was  kindly  offered  us.  But  the  whole  population  in 
our  neighbourhood  was  watching  us.  If  we  stirred, 
there  would  have  been  a  general  stampede. 

Fortunately  for  themselves  and  for  the  country,  the 
courage  of  the  common  people  failed.  One  after  an- 
other they  deserted  the  leader,  till  at  last  he  also  fled. 


306   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

He  was  caught,  however,  and  with  seven  other  leaders 
was  executed.  This  was  the  end  of  the  matter  in 
Chiengmai ;  but  certain  parties  of  the  insurgents,  escap- 
ing northwards,  became  roving  bands  of  marauders 
that  for  some  time  disturbed  the  peace  of  the  frontier 
towns.  The  rebellion  never  had  any  chance  of  ultimate 
success;  but  had  the  attack  on  the  city  been  actually 
made,  the  immediate  consequences  would  have  been 
direful,  and  untold  calamity  would  have  been  entailed 
on  the  whole  country. 

The  arrival  of  Dr.  McKean  at  the  close  of  the  year 
marked  an  era  in  our  medical  work.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  our  daughter.  Miss  Cornelia  H.  McGilvary, 
now  Mrs.  William  Harris  Jun.  It  was  the  pleasant 
duty  of  Mrs.  McGilvary  to  escort  the  party  up  from 
Bangkok.  The  appointment  of  our  daughter  was  no 
less  a  surprise  than  a  delight  to  us.  During  her  school 
days  she  always  said  that  she  would  not  become  a 
missionary.  When  the  question  came  up  for  final  set- 
tlement, she  fought  it  out  in  her  own  mind  alone, 
and  reached  her  own  decision.  The  Lao  language, 
which,  during  her  ten  years'  absence,  she  seemed  to 
have  lost  entirely,  came  back  to  her  very  soon  and  with 
little  effort. 

It  has  been  Dr.  McKean's  privilege  to  continue  the 
work  begun  by  able  physicians,  and  to  carry  it  to  a 
higher  degree  of  efficiency.  He  has  combined,  as  most 
of  our  physicians  have  done,  the  two  great  objects  of 
the  medical  missionary,  the  medical  and  the  evangel- 
istic, making  the  former  a  means  to  the  latter.  While 
the  professional  and  the  charitable  features  of  the  work 
have  not  been  minimized,  but  rather  magnified,  no  min- 
ister has  more  loved  to  preach  the  Gospel,  or  has  been 
more  successful  in  it.    At  the  same  time  it  may  be 


A  PRISONER  OF  JESUS  CHRIST         307 

that  the  great  work  now  enlisting  his  sympathy  and 
his  strenuous  efforts — the  establishment  of  a  leper  col- 
ony and  hospital,  and  the  amelioration  of  the  condi- 
tion of  that  unfortunate  class — may  be  the  one  with 
which  his  name  will  be  most  intimately  associated. 


XXVIII 
CIRCUIT  TOUR  WITH  MY  DAUGHTER,  1890 

I  HAD  been  appointed  by  Presbytery  to  organize 
in  Chieng  Rai  the  church  which  was  not  found 
ready  for  organization  on  my  previous  visit.  I 
had  planned  for  a  tour  longer  than  usual,  to  include 
the  eastern  provinces  as  far  as  Nan,  as  well  as  the 
northern  ones,  and  expected  to  take  with  me  native 
assistants  only.  But  upon  the  arrival  of  our  rein- 
forcement, I  was  no  less  surprised  than  delighted  to 
find  that  my  daughter  desired  to  accompany  me;  and 
so  it  was  arranged. 

Starting  on  February  5th,  we  spent  the  first  Sunday 
in  Lakawn.  Here  we  met  another  surprise.  Mr. 
Taylor  had  spent  his  first  year  in  that  annoying 
work  for  the  new  missionary,  the  building  of  a  house. 
He  was  anxious  to  get  out  among  the  people,  but 
feared  he  was  not  sufficiently  versed  in  the  language 
to  make  profitable  a  tour  alone.  He  and  Mrs.  Taylor 
would  join  us  if  they  could  get  elephants — a  matter 
which  was  easily  arranged.  Mr.  Taylor  proved  to  be 
an  efficient  helper.  My  daughter  had  a  delightful  com- 
panion, and  it  was  a  great  pleasure  to  initiate  the  new 
missionaries  into  the  evangelistic  work  which  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Taylor  since  then  have  carried  on  so  successfully 
for  twenty  years.  It  is  still  their  delight — may  they 
live  to  carry  it  on  for  many  years  to  come! 
One  of  the  chief  diversions  of  the  trip  thenceforward 


CIRCUIT  TOUR  WITH  MY  DAUGHTER       309 

was  afforded  by  the  pranks  of  an  uncommonly  mis- 
chievous baby-elephant  which  accompanied  its  mother. 
On  one  occasion  a  footman  coming  towards  us  stepped 
out  of  the  trail  and  stood  beside  a  large  tree  to  let 
us  pass.  The  mischievous  creature  saw  his  oppor- 
tunity, and  before  the  man  knew  what  was  up,  he 
found  himself  fast  pinioned  between  the  elephant's 
head  and  the  tree  trunk.  The  frightened  man  extri- 
cated himself  with  loud  outcry,  while  the  beholders 
were  convulsed  with  laughter.  Our  own  men  were  con- 
stantly the  victims  of  his  pranks;  so  that,  one  day,  I 
told  them  that  there  would  be  no  trouble  if  they 
would  only  leave  the  creature  alone — adding,  by  way 
of  clinching  my  advice,  "  You  see,  he  never  troubles 
me."  Just  then,  to  the  great  delight  of  all,  he  made 
straight  for  me,  and  if  there  had  been  a  tree  behind 
me  I  should  have  been  in  the  same  unpleasant  position 
in  which  the  footman  found  himself. 

Mr.  Taylor's  account  of  the  earlier  portion  of  the  trip 
is  as  follows: 

"  We  left  Lakawn  on  the  12th  of  February  with  Dr.  Mc- 
Gilvary  and  his  daughter,  and  in  four  days  reached  Muang 
Pre.  Our  tents  were  pitched  by  the  road  just  outside  the  city 
gate.  The  advent  of  four  foreigners,  two  of  whom  were 
women,  created  quite  a  stir;  and  we  were  all  kept  abundantly 
busy  in  visiting  and  being  visited.  Mrs.  Taylor  and  Miss 
McGilvary  were  the  first  white  ladies  to  visit  the  place; 
and  of  course,  much  to  their  own  discomfort,  were  the  centre 
of  attraction.   .    ,    . 

"  The  people  of  Pre  seemed  very  ready  to  listen  to  the 
Gospel;  so  plenty  of  auditors  were  found  everywhere.  On 
Sabbath,  the  16th,  the  first  convert  in  Pre  was  baptized. 
He  is  a  blind  man,  Noi  Wong  by  name,  who  came  to 
Lakawn  to  have  Dr.  Peoples  operate  on  his  eyes;  but  as 
nothing  could  be  done  for  him,  he  returned  home  carrying  in 
his  heart  some  of  the  teachings  there  received,  and  in  his 


310  AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

hand  a  manuscript  copy  of  a  small  catechism  I  was  able  to 
spare  him.  From  his  answers  before  the  session,  it  was  evi- 
dent that  he  had  used  his  brother's  eyes  well  in  having  it 
read  to  him. 

"  On  Wednesday  we  started  on  for  Nan,  and  arrived  there 
the  following  Tuesday.  We  received  a  very  cordial  welcome 
from  the  officials  of  that  city,  who  sent  a  man  to  put  in  order 
a  rest-house  for  us,  and  another  to  conduct  our  elephants  to 
a  place  for  food  and  water.  Next  day,  after  the  court  closed, 
some  of  the  officials  came  to  visit  us.  After  wading  through 
the  crowds  on  the  first  and  second  verandas,  and  finally 
planting  himself  cross-legged  in  the  middle  of  the  thronged 
reception-room,  their  Chief  said  they  thought  we  would  be 
lonesome;  so  they  had  come  to  visit  us.  No  idea  could  have 
been  more  comical  to  us;  but  he  was  seriously  in  earnest, 
and  explained  that  he  had  never  known  the  people  to  visit 
with  other  foreigners  who  had  come  to  their  city.  They 
would  not,  however,  listen  well  when  the  subject  of  religion 
was  broached,  and  with  one  or  two  exceptions  would  not  at- 
tend any  of  our  services." 

The  morning  after  our  arrival  in  Nan,  my 
daughter  met  in  the  market-place  a  daughter  of  the 
Prince,  and,  before  she  was  aware,  found  herself 
escorted  into  the  palace.  Her  newly  recovered  lan- 
guage stood  her  in  good  stead,  and  she  had  a  pleas- 
ant talk  with  the  Prince  and  his  daughters  and  wives. 
Next  day  he  sent  word  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  give 
our  party  an  audience.  He  was  of  venerable  age,  and 
second  only  to  our  Chiengmai  Prince  in  his  influence 
at  the  court  of  Bangkok.  He  expressed  his  pleasure  at 
our  visit  to  his  country.  He  was  too  old  to  embrace 
a  new  religion.  We  might  teach  his  children  and 
grandchildren.  What  they  would  do  he  did  not 
know. 

At  Nan  the  Taylors  left  us,  returning  to  their  sta- 
tion,  while  we  journeyed   on.     Our  next   stage   was 


CIRCUIT  TOUR  WITH  MY  DAUGHTER       311 

Chieng  Kawng,  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  the 
northwest.  We  usually  stopped  for  the  night  at  large 
villages,  or  sometimes  in  small  towns.  But  once  we 
spent  two  days  in  the  forest,  where  bears,  tigers,  and 
wild  elephants  abound.  The  first  evening  we  just 
missed  the  sight  of  three  tigers.  Our  men  had  gone  on 
ahead  to  select  a  camping-place  for  the  night,  and  saw 
a  mother  with  two  cubs  crossing  the  road.  Next 
morning  one  of  my  elephants,  that  had  been  hobbled 
and  turned  loose,  was  not  on  hand.  It  was  nothing 
unusual  for  one  of  them  to  be  a  little  belated,  so  we 
loaded  up  the  others  and  prepared  for  starting.  But 
when  an  hour  had  passed,  and  then  two  hours,  and  the 
elephant  still  did  not  come,  we  unloaded  them  and 
waited  a  long  weary  day  and  an  anxious  night.  Early 
next  morning,  however,  the  driver  appeared.  That 
was  a  relief,  but  still  there  was  no  elephant.  He  had 
followed  her  trail  over  the  mountain  ridge,  down 
gorges,  and  across  knolls,  till,  tired  and  hungry,  he 
had  retraced  his  steps.  Night  overtook  him,  and, 
crouched  under  a  tree,  he  had  caught  snatches  of  sleep 
while  keeping  watch  for  tigers.  For  two  nights  and  a 
day  he  had  not  tasted  food.  With  an  elephant's  in- 
stinct, the  beast  was  making  her  way  towards  her  old 
range  in  Chieng  Rai,  many  days  distant.  It  was  a 
relief  to  know  that  she  had  not  joined  a  large  wild 
herd,  in  which  case  her  capture  would  be  practically 
impossible. 

We  could  not  remain  indefinitely  in  the  forest.  So 
giving  the  driver  food,  a  gun,  and  two  carriers  for 
company,  with  instructions  not  to  return  till  the  ele- 
phant was  found,  we  moved  on  five  or  six  miles  to  the 
next  village.  Ban  Kem.  This  was  the  noon  of  Wednes- 
day.    Our  detention  seemed  providential.     We  found 


312  AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

the  place  fever-stricken.  Our  medicines  at  once  made 
us  friends.  Our  tent  was  crowded  witli  visitors,  so 
that  I  had  little  time  to  think  of  the  lost  elephant.  The 
people  seemed  hungry  for  the  Gospel.  Three  sub- 
stantial men  in  the  village,  on  the  night  before  we  left, 
professed  a  sincere  and  cordial  acceptance  of  Jesus  as 
their  Saviour. 

On  Saturday,  shortly  after  midday,  there  was  a 
shout,  "  Here  comes  Lung  Noi  with  the  elephant ! " 
I  was  both  glad  and  sorry  to  hear  it.  Had  I  been  alone, 
I  should  have  remained  longer.  But  we  had  lost  so 
much  time,  that  every  one  was  eager  to  depart.  I 
promised  if  possible  to  come  again,  but  the  time  never 
came. 

Chieng  Kawng  was  our  next  point,  a  place  I  had 
visited  with  Dr.  Vrooman  seventeen  years  before.  The 
young  lad  who  then  was  so  much  interested  in  my  re- 
peating rifle  was  now  governor,  and  came  running  out, 
bareheaded  and  barefooted,  to  welcome  us.  In  the  in- 
terval I  had  met  him  from  time  to  time  in  Chiengmai, 
and  he  always  begged  that  I  would  make  him  another 
visit.  I  had  been  better  than  my  word — I  had  come 
at  last,  and  brought  my  daughter,  too.  His  brother, 
the  second  governor,  had  seen  us  in  time  to  don  his 
audience  dress,  and  he  appeared  more  like  a  white 
man  than  any  one  we  had  seen  since  the  Taylors  left 
us.  He  was  ready  to  start  on  an  expedition  to  Muang 
Sing,  five  days  northward  beyond  the  Me  Kong.  The 
Prince  of  Nan  had  received  permission  from  the  King 
of  Siam  to  repeople  that  old  province.  Hence  this  ex- 
pedition. The  leader  had  three  hundred  men,  and  gave 
me  a  cordial  invitation  to  go  as  chaplain  and  physi- 
cian !  After  this,  while  the  work  was  well  under  way, 
the  territory  was  turned  over  to  France  as  the  result 


CIRCUIT  TOUR  WITH  MY  DAUGHTER       313 

of  the  long  and  troubled  negotiations  over  the  boundary 
between  Siam  and  French  Indo-China. 

The  wives  of  both  the  governors  could  scarcely  be 
content  with  my  daughter's  short  stay.  They  would 
surely  become  Christians,  if  she  would  remain  one 
month  to  teach  them.  All  I  could  do  was  to  promise 
once  more  to  come  again  if  possible.  The  promised 
visit  was  made  two  years  later,  but  then  the  "  Nai " 
was  not  along. 

From  there  the  only  travelled  route  to  Chieng  SSn 
was  by  Chieng  Rai,  both  hot  and  circuitous.  The  al- 
ternative was  a  blind,  untravelled  track  through  the 
forest,  made  over  forty  years  before,  when  Siam  sent 
its  last  unfortunate  expedition  against  Keng  Tung. 
Here  was  a  tempting  chance  to  test  the  old  proverb, 
Where  there's  a  will,  there's  a  way.  The  governor 
procured  a  noted  hunter  to  guide  us.  Every  carrier 
and  driver  and  servant  in  the  party  carried  his  bush 
knife,  and  all  promised  to  aid  if  we  only  would  take 
the  cooler  road.  It  was,  however,  literally  making  in 
the  forest  "  a  highway  for  our  God,"  over  which  several 
missionary  tours  have  since  been  made.  In  the  denser 
parts  of  the  forest,  we  could  force  our  way  only  by  cut- 
ting away  branches  and  small  trees,  and  at  times  felling 
clumps  of  bamboo. 

We  had  a  cool  place  for  rest  and  worship  on  Sunday. 
Our  hunter  had  not  promised  to  keep  the  Sabbath, 
and  we  were  on  his  old  hunting-grounds,  where  game 
of  all  kinds  abounded.  At  dawn  he  was  off  with  his 
gun,  and  we  saw  no  more  of  him  till  sunset,  when  he 
appeared  smiling,  with  some  choice  cuts  of  beef  hang- 
ing from  the  barrel  of  his  gun.  He  had  found  and  fol- 
lowed, all  day,  a  herd  of  wild  cattle — the  Kating — and 
succeeded  in  killing  one  of  them  near  our  road,  a  mile 


314  AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

or  more  ahead  of  our  camp.  Though  killed  on  Sun- 
day, we  ate  it  and  asked  no  questions  for  conscience' 
sake.  It  was  surely  the  most  delicious  beef  we  ever 
tasted.  We  should  have  had  a  mutiny  the  next  day, 
had  we  proposed  to  pass  on  without  stopping  to  save 
the  meat.  And  what  a  huge  creature  it  was.  It  must 
have  weighed  nearly  a  ton.  Our  men  extemporized 
frames  over  the  fire,  and  were  busy  cutting  up  the  meat 
and  drying  it  until  late  at  night.  Next  day  each  man 
went  loaded  with  it  to  his  utmost  capacity.  What  we 
could  not  carry  away,  the  guide  stored  in  the  fork  of  a 
tree  against  his  return. 

The  journey  through  the  forest  was  shorter  and  far 
more  comfortable  than  would  have  been  the  regular 
route.  When  next  I  travelled  it,  it  had  become  a 
public  highway.  And  as  long  as  I  continued  to 
journey  that  way,  it  was  known  as  the  "  Teacher's 
Road." 

Chieng  Sen  was  the  limit  of  our  trip.  Before  reach- 
ing it,  we  began  to  hear  rumours  of  war — that  the  city 
was  blockaded,  no  one  being  permitted  to  enter  or 
depart.  The  country  population  had  been  called  in 
to  defend  the  city,  etc.,  etc.  We  were  advised  to  re- 
turn, but  kept  on.  At  the  gate  the  guard  admitted  us 
without  diflQculty. 

The  disturbance  was  the  aftermath  of  the  previous 
year's  tax-rebellion,  which,  as  we  supposed,  was  com- 
pletely ended  before  we  left  home.  But  a  portion  of 
the  insurgents  had  fled  to  Keng  Tung,  and,  gathering 
there  a  larger  force,  came  south  again  as  far  as  Mftang 
Fang,  where  they  were  either  captured  or  again  scat- 
tered. It  was  the  fear  that  this  lawless  band,  on  its 
retreat  northward,  might  attack  and  plunder  the  city, 
that  caused  the  confusion.     But  the  fugitives  would 


CIRCUIT  TOUR  WITH  MY  DAUGHTER       315 

have  been  fools  to  linger  about  two  weeks  after  their 
defeat,  when  they  knew  that  both  the  army  behind 
them  and  the  country  in  front  of  them  would  be  on 
the  alert  for  their  capture.  The  governor  was  de- 
lighted to  see  us,  and  we  were  able  in  some  degree 
to  allay  his  fears.  We  were  there,  too,  to  speak  a 
word  of  comfort  to  our  own  flock,  who,  like  the  rest, 
had  been  called  in  to  protect  the  city.  The  panic 
gradually  subsided,  and  the  people  returned  to  their 
homes.  Owing  in  part  to  the  unsettled  condition  of 
the  country,  we  did  not  remain  long  in  Chieng  Sen ;  but 
long  enough  to  visit  in  their  homes  every  Christian 
family  save  one,  and  to  have  a  delightful  communion 
season  with  the  church  on  Sunday. 

Our  special  commission  on  this  tour  was  to  or- 
ganize a  church  in  Chieng  Rai,  where  our  next  Sunday 
was  spent.  Our  governor  friend  was  disappointed  that 
we  had  not  come  to  take  possession  of  the  fine  lot  on 
the  bank  of  the  Me  Kok  which  he  had  given  us.  At 
his  suggestion  a  house  on  it  was  purchased  from  his 
son  at  a  nominal  price,  with  the  promise  that  we 
would  urge  the  mission  to  occupy  it  the  next  year.  On 
April  13th,  the  three  sections  of  the  church  assembled 
by  invitation  at  M^  Kawn.  The  obstacles  which  pre- 
vented the  organization  before  were  now  removed. 
Fifty-one  communicants  and  thirty-two  non-commun- 
ing members  were  enrolled,  two  ruling  elders  were 
elected  and  ordained,  and  the  new  church  started  with 
fair  prospects. 

W^e  reached  home  on  April  29th,  after  an  absence 
of  eighty-one  days.  We  found  all  well,  and  the  work 
prospering  along  all  the  lines.  It  was  none  too  soon, 
however.  We  were  just  in  time  to  escape  the  rise  of 
the   streams.     At   our   last   encampment   on    the   M6 


316   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

Kuang  we  had  a  great  storm  of  wind  and  rain,  with 
trees  and  branches  falling  about  us.  The  trip  was  a 
long  one  for  my  daughter ;  but  her  presence  greatly  en- 
hanced the  importance  of  the  tour.  On  my  subsequent 
tours  through  that  region  the  first  question  always 
was,  "  Did  you  bring  the  Nai  ?  "  and  the  second,  "  Why 
not?" 

On  our  return  we  were  surprised  to  find  Dr.  Mc- 
Kean  in  a  new  and  comfortable  teak  house,  toward 
the  erection  of  which  neither  axe  nor  saw  nor  plane 
had  been  used  when  we  left.  The  saw-mill  could  de- 
liver at  once  whatever  was  needed.  But  7ny  house  had 
been  seven  years  in  building! 

By  this  time  nearly  all  the  Lao  cities  of  Siam  had 
been  visited  by  missionaries.  In  two  of  them — Chieng- 
mai  and  Lakawn — we  had  established  permanent  sta- 
tions. For  the  third  station,  Chieng  Rai  seemed  to 
present  the  strongest  claim.  Politically  it  was  not  so 
important  as  Nan.  But  Nan,  while  very  cordial  to 
foreigners  personally,  was  very  jealous  about  admitting 
foreign  influence  of  any  kind.  And  the  absolute  con- 
trol of  the  people  by  the  princes  of  Nan  would  be  an 
obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  acceptance  of  Christianity 
there  until  the  princes  themselves  embraced  it.  In 
Chieng  Rai  province  the  governor  was  known  to  be 
favourable  to  the  Jesus-religion.  Its  broad  plains  and 
fertile  soil  were  sure  to  attract  a  large  immigration 
from  the  south,  where  population  is  dense  and  land 
very  dear.  The  city  is  about  equidistant  from  the  five 
cities  of  Wieng  Pa  Pao  on  the  south,  Muaug  Fang  on 
the  west,  Chieng  Sen  on  the  north,  Chieng  Kawng  on 
the  northeast,  and  Chieng  Kam  on  the  east.  In  our 
reports  to  the  mission  and  to  the  Board,  these  facts 
were  urged  as  arguments  for  the  establishment  of  a 


CIRCUIT  TOUR  WITH  MY  DAUGHTER       317 

station  there.  The  mission  gave  its  cordial  sanction 
to  a  temporary  occupancy.  A  longer  tour  was  author- 
ized for  the  next  season;  but  the  heavy  debt  of  the 
Board  forbade  the  expenditure  of  more  than  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  rupees  for  a  temporary  house  in  order 
to  secure  the  land  which  had  been  given  us.  Our  long 
delay  sorely  shook  the  good  governor's  faith  that  we 
would  ever  come. 

The  arrival  of  young  missionaries  on  the  field  ren- 
dered some  kind  of  physical  and  social  recreation  neces- 
sary. Croquet  had  formerly  been  tried,  but  it  gave 
very  little  exercise,  and  had  been  supplanted  by  the 
better  game  of  lawn  tennis.  In  the  fall  of  1890,  Mrs. 
McGilvary  prepared  a  court  in  our  front  lot,  and  in- 
vited the  missionaries  and  the  small  European  com- 
munity to  an  "  At  Home "  on  Tuesdays  at  4 :30  p.m. 
The  game  furnished  the  very  exercise  needed  after  a 
day's  confinement  in  school  or  study.  It  proved  so 
beneficial  to  health  and  to  efiiciency  in  work,  that  the 
"  At  Home  "  was  continued,  with  occasional  interrup- 
tions from  weather  or  other  causes,  for  thirteen  or 
fourteen  years.  This  was  Mrs.  McGilvary's  little  con- 
tribution to  the  health  and  the  social  recreation  of  the 
community  in  which  we  lived;  and  it  was  highly  ap- 
preciated. 

In  August  I  had  occasion  to  visit  Wieng  Pa  Pao. 
Before  I  was  out  of  the  Chiengmai  plain  I  had  an  ex- 
citing runaway  on  my  big  sadaw  elephant.  A  mother 
cow  was  grazing  at  some  little  distance  from  her  calf. 
As  the  elephant  approached  the  calf,  the  mother  be- 
came alarmed  for  its  safety,  and  rushed  frantically 
towards  it,  bellowing  to  the  utmost  capacity  of  her 
lungs.  This  was  quite  too  much  for  my  big  timid 
beast.     He  started  off  at  a  fearful  pace,  which   the 


318  AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

driver  in  vain  endeavoured  to  control.  Fortunately  it 
was  on  an  open  plain  with  no  woods  or  trees.  The  same 
elephant  on  a  previous  occasion,  when  Mrs.  McGilvary 
was  riding  him,  on  some  slight  alarm  rushed  off  into 
a  thicket  of  low  trees ;  and  once,  with  me  on  his  back, 
went  crashing  through  the  standing  timber  in  the 
forest.  In  both  cases  it  was  nothing  but  the  strength 
of  the  three-strand  rattan  girth  that  saved  either  how- 
dah  or  rider.  The  elephant's  fastest  run  is  not  a 
"  lope,"  but  a  kind  of  long  swing  from  side  to  side. 
It  is  an  awful  sensation.  I  never  was  in  an  earth- 
quake, but  I  imagine  the  two  experiences  must  be 
somewhat  similar,  with  the  fear  in  this  case  of  being 
at  any  instant  dashed  from  your  lofty  perch  to  the 
ground. 

The  special  reason  for  this  trip  was  the  fear  of  some 
collision  or  trouble  between  the  government  and  the 
Christians  with  regard  to  the  Sunday  question.  Be- 
sides keeping  their  own  Sabbath,  the  Christians  were 
forbidden  to  do  any  manual  work  on  the  Buddhist 
sacred  days  as  well,  making  altogether  eight  days  in 
each  month.  Had  the  rule  been  the  outcome  of  con- 
scientious scruples  on  the  part  of  a  religious  people  at 
seeing  their  sacred  day  desecrated,  we  should  have  re- 
spected their  scruples.  But  the  day  was  a  mere  holi- 
day, and,  except  by  a  few  of  the  more  religious,  it  was 
largely  spent  in  hunting  and  iishing.  I  had  to  re- 
mind the  governor  of  his  beautiful  inconsistency.  He 
would  not  allow  the  Christians  to  use  an  axe  or  a  plow 
on  sacred  days,  while  the  people  generally  were  al- 
lowed to  kill  animals,  thus  breaking  the  most  stringent 
of  Buddha's  laws.  He  must  have  felt  the  force  of  the 
argument,  for  before  the  very  next  sacred  day  an 
order  was  issued  forbidding  hunting  and  fishing  on  it. 


FlRSi'    CHURCH    IN    CHlENGiMAl 


F^ 

^?^^^^INB^^Hffi|H 

""^^i 

■  '         "^'^ 

l^j^    ^ 

^^HhH 

■n 

IH^^H^l 

^^'it^ 

1 

SHfQH 

5^     iM 

■ 

DR.    McGILVARY  S    HOME    IN    CHIENGMAI 


CIRCUIT  TOUR  WITH  MY  DAUGHTER       319 

But  till  the  original  order  was  revoked,  strict  obedi- 
ence was  enjoined  upon  the  Christians. 

The  Annual  Meeting  was  held  in  Lakawn  early  in 
December.  Just  before  it  convened,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  W. 
A.  Briggs  and  Rev.  Robert  Irwin  arrived,  together  with 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Peoples,  returning  from  furlough.  For 
the  present  these  were  stationed  at  Lakawn.  At  the 
same  time  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Stanley  K.  Phraner  were 
nearing  Chiengmai  on  the  Me  Ping  fork.  But  our 
song  of  joy  over  their  arrival  was  destined  soon  again 
to  have  a  sad  refrain.  The  two  young  brides  had 
scarcely  reached  their  husbands'  field  of  labour — which 
they  thought  was  to  be  theirs  also — when  they  were 
both  called  to  a  higher  sphere. 


XXIX 

LENGTHENING   THE   CORDS   AND    STRENGTH- 
ENING THE  STAKES 

WHILE  in  the  United  States,  Dr.  Peoples  had 
succeeded  in  procuring  a  font  of  Lao  type, 
with  the  necessary  equipment  for  printing. 
For  twenty-three  years  we  had  used  only  the  Siamese 
Scriptures  and  literature.  With  many  present  dis- 
advantages, it  had  some  compensations.  Those  who 
could  read  Siamese  had  access  to  the  whole  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testaments.  The  press  was  set  up  in 
Chiengmai,  and  Rev.  D.  G.  Collins  was  made  man- 
ager. The  first  printing  done  Vas  Mrs.  McGilvary's 
translation  of  the  Gospel  of  Matthew. 

•My  daughter  had  been  sent  down  to  aid  the  Phraners 
on  their  river  trip.  Word  was  sent  ahead  that  Mrs. 
Phraner  was  not  well.  As  they  drew  nearer,  her  con- 
dition became  so  critical  that  Dr.  McKean  hastened 
with  all  speed  to  meet  them.  When  she  reached 
Chiengmai,  her  condition,  while  still  critical,  was  more 
hopeful.  I  was  ready  to  start  on  my  tour  as  soon  as 
the  party  arrived.  When  I  left  home,  we  were  still 
hopeful  that  rest,  kind  nursing,  and  medical  treatment 
would  set  her  right  again. 

During  my  absence  this  year  I  was  fortunate  enough 
to  receive  a  regular  weeklj^  mail  from  Chiengmai.  A 
staff  of  engineers  were  surveying  a  railroad  route  for 
the  Siamese  government,  and  had  a  weekly  mail  sent 


STRENGTHENING  THE  STAKES  321 

to  their  stations  along  the  line.  They  were  very  kind 
to  include  my  letters  also,  which  was  particularly  for- 
tunate in  that  thus  I  could  have  news  of  the  invalid 
left  behind. 

I  have  learned  to  start  on  my  tours  with  very  flex^ 
ible  plans,  leaving  much  to  the  guidance  of  provi- 
dential openings  on  the  way.  On  this  trip,  at  the  vil- 
lage of  Pang  Krai — which,  because  it  was  a  mile  or 
two  away  from  the  road,  I  had  not  visited  in  seventeen 
years — I  was  dela};ed  three  days  by  a  reception  so  cor- 
dial that  I  could  not  pass  on.  On  my  previous  trip  a 
man  from  the  village,  Noi  Techo  by  name,  came  with 
his  little  girl  across  to  our  camp  and  begged  us  to 
visit  it.  This  I  could  not  then  do;  but  he  remained 
with  us  till  late  at  night,  and  seemed  to  be  a  be- 
liever, I  now  found  that  in  the  interval  the  man  had 
kept  the  Sabbath,  and  had  given  such  other  evidence 
of  his  sincerity,  that  we  could  not  refuse  his  reception 
to  the  communion  and  fellowship  of  the  church.  On' 
the  last  night  of  our  stay  we  had  a  baptismal  and  com- 
munion service  that  was  memorable.  The  man  made  a 
good  confession  before  many  witnesses,  and  his  little 
daughter  was  baptized  as  a  non-communing  member. 

As  in  many  other  cases,  this  family  had  been 
driven  by  trouble  to  our  religion.  Originally  he  was 
the  slave  of  a  prince  in  Lakawn.  The  accusation  of 
witchcraft  then  settled  on  the  family;  but  before  they 
were  driven  off  the  Prince  compelled  them  to  borrow 
money  in  order  to  redeem  themselves  from  him — to  do 
which  the  man  had  to  give  two  of  his  children  as  se- 
curity. After  a  move  or  two,  he  was  driven  by  famine 
from  Lakawn,  and  came  to  this  village. 

One  morning  at  Wieng  Pa  Pao  I  was  summoned 
in  great  haste  to  attend  one  of  the  engineers  who 


322   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

was  thought  to  have  been  nearly  killed  bj^  a  fall  from 
a  runaway  horse.  I  found  that  he  had  broken  a  col- 
lar-bone, but  was  otherwise  uninjured.  I  applied  all 
of  my  amateur  surgical  skill,  and  set  the  bone.  But 
my  patient,  naturally  enough,  could  not  feel  quite  sure ; 
and  thought  it  safer  to  go  down  to  our  hospital  and  get 
Dr.  McKean's  judgment  on  the  case.  He  found  the 
bone  set  all  right. 

Late  one  Saturday  evening  I  reached  Ban  Pa  Hong 
in  Chieng  Rai  province,  and  stopped  with  the  first 
Christian  family.  Next  day  I  learned  that  in  the  next 
section  of  the  village  there  was  a  Christian  girl  very 
low  with  consumption.  Early  on  Monday  morning  I 
moved  on,  but  was  only  in  time  to  see  a  lovely  form 
and  face  apparently  in  the  most  natural  sleep;  but 
the  living  soul  had  departed.  I  had  baptized  her  two 
years  before,  when  she  was  fourteen  years  of  age. 
She  had  been  sick  for  seven  months,  and  had  spent 
most  of  the  time  in  prayer.  It  made  me  inexpressibly 
sad  when  I  learned  that  her  strongest  desire  was  to  see 
her  own  "  Paw  Krii "  before  she  departed.  On  the 
previous  evening,  when  she  heard  that  we  had  reached 
the  village  near  by,  she  said,  "  And  the  Paw  Krii  is  at 
Noi  Lin's,  and  I  cannot  see  him ! "  I  preached  her 
funeral  sermon,  and  saw  her  decently  buried. 

The  next  Sunday  morning,  while  sitting  in  the  M^ 
Kawn  chapel  and  preparing  for  service,  I  looked  up 
and  saw  standing  on  the  ground  before  the  door  some 
people  in  a  strange  costume  evidently  not  Lao,  looking 
in  as  if  in  doubt  whether  to  enter  or  not.  I  immedi- 
ately recognized  them  as  belonging  to  the  Muso  tribe, 
quite  numerous  in  the  mountains  near  by.  Their  ready 
acceptance  of  my  invitation  to  come  in  showed  that 


STRENGTHENING  THE  STAKES  323 

they  were  waiting  to  be  asked,  and  feared  only  lest 
they  might  be  intruders.  As  the  Musos  will  be  prom- 
inent in  our  narrative  of  this  and  the  two  following 
years,  a  word  of  introduction  may  be  desirable. 

They  are  one  of  a  numerous  group  of  hill  tribes  which 
have  gradually  followed  the  mountain  ridges  down 
from  the  interior  of  the  continent.  They  live  under  a 
patriarchal  government,  if  it  may  be  rightly  called  a 
government  at  all ;  and  they  enjoy  great  personal  free- 
dom, though  the  authority  of  the  clan  approaches  very 
near  to  absolute  despotism.  They  are  worshippers  of 
spirits,  which  are  held  to  preside  over  the  universe 
and  the  destinies  of  men  generally ;  while  as  a  tribe 
they  are  under  the  guardianship  of  their  own  "  spirits." 
They  have  a  twelfth-day  sabbath  or  sacred  day,  not 
very  definitely  marked.  They  make  a  great  deal  of 
their  "  kin  waw  "  or  New  Year  feast,  when  all  com- 
munication with  other  villages  even  of  their  own  tribe 
is  cut  off  during  the  five  or  seven  days  of  their  feasting. 
The  religious  head  of  the  village  is  called  Pii  Chan, 
and  the  head  Pii  Chan  of  a  province  holds  in  his  hands 
the  conscience  of  all  his  flock. 

Their  manner  of  life  is  as  follows :  They  select  a  lo- 
cality, the  higher  up  the  better,  near  the  source  of  a 
mountain  brook.  They  fell  the  trees  and  undergrowth 
at  the  close  of  the  rainy  season,  let  them  dry  during 
the  hot  season,  and  just  before  the  next  rainy  season 
set  fire  to  the  clearing  on  a  windy  day.  All  that  is 
readily  combustible  is  consumed,  leaving  the  logs  on 
the  ground.  With  a  small  hoe  or  a  narrow  spade  they 
make  shallow  openings  in  the  earth  some  ten  inches 
apart,  all  over  the  field,  and  deposit  in  each  a  dozen 
rice  grains,  more  or  less.  The  rains  do  the  rest  till  the 
harvest.     The  second  year's  crop  is  the  best,  but  it  is 


324    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

seldom  that  tliey  can  compete  with  the  scrub-growth 
for  a  third  crop.  A  temporary  shack  is  easily  erected, 
if  possible,  contiguous  to  three  clearings.  When  these 
are  abandoned,  they  move  on  and  repeat  the  opera- 
tion elsewhere.  By  this  means  all  the  higher  moun- 
tains are  being  steadily  denuded  of  their  forests. 

Being  bound  by  no  system  of  hoary  age  and  venerable 
associations,  like  Buddhism  or  Brahmanism,  most  of 
the  hill  tribes  are  very  receptive  of  the  Gospel.  Their 
clannishness,  however,  is  such  that  if  they  become 
Christians  at  all,  they  come  in  a  body.  But  it  is 
very  difficult  for  individuals  or  families  to  break  away 
from  the  clan.  At  the  same  time  their  migratory  and 
unsettled  habits  are  by  no  means  favourable  to  their 
education  and  civilization.  To  any  other  power  than 
that  of  the  Gospel  that  would  seem  to  be  a  hopeless 
task. 

But  to  return  to  our  visitors  at  the  chapel.  There 
were  seven  men  and  boys  in  the  party.  The  spokes- 
man, Cha  Pii  Kaw,  was  tall  and  well  proportioned, 
with  the  bearing  of  one  who  might  be  a  leader  of  some 
position.  He  understood  Lao  better  than  most  of  his 
tribe,  and  through  him  it  was  by  no  means  difficult 
to  draw  the  others  into  conversation.  They  were  from 
three  families  that  had  been  driven  down  nearer  the 
plain  by  accusation  of  witchcraft.  They  had  learned 
from  our  elder  that  Christians  were  not  afraid  of 
witchcraft,  nor  of  expulsion  from  the  country.  They 
had  also  talked  over  with  him  the  plan  of  salvation 
for  sinful  men  provided  in  the  Gospel,  and  had  asked 
to  be  informed  whenever  we  should  come  again.  They 
readily  consented  to  remain  through  the  morning 
service,  which  was  modified  to  suit  the  needs  of  the  new 
audience.     It  was   the   first   Christian   worship   they 


STRENGTHENING  THE  STAKES  325 

had  ever  attended,  and  they  were  evidently  pleased. 
The  Christians  invited  them  to  share  their  dinner, 
and  the  most  of  the  afternoon  was  given  up  to  their 
instruction.  The  boys  were  put  to  reading  the  cate- 
chism and  learning  to  sing  the  Lao  version  of  "  There 
is  a  Happy  Land."  They  remained  with  us  till  there 
was  only  light  enough  left  to  enable  them  to  find 
their  way  home. 

Early  next  morning  we  crossed  the  plain  to  the  foot 
of  the  mountain,  where  we  struck  the  little  brook 
along  which  and  in  which  lay  our  pathway.  The  climb 
was  a  stiff  one,  but  with  noble  outlooks  over  the  plain 
below.  In  their  little  hamlet  there  were  three  fam- 
ilies, or,  rather,  three  divisions  of  one  family,  num- 
bering twenty-six  souls.  By  their  intercourse  with 
the  Christians  at  the  chapel  the  soil  had  been  pre- 
pared for  the  seed.  So  from  nine  o'clock  till  noon  we 
addressed  ourselves  to  teaching  the  elders,  while  the 
children  were  becoming  more  and  more  interested  in 
the  catechism,  and  especially  in  the  "  Happy  Land." 

While  the  men  and  boys  were  thus  engaged,  the 
grandmother  and  her  daughters  were  busy  preparing 
dinner.  When  all  was  ready,  the  steaming  white 
rice  was  emptied  on  a  board  like  that  on  which  our 
housewives  knead  their  bread.  With  it  was  a  vegetable 
curry,  sweet  potatoes  steamed  over  the  rice,  bananas, 
and  other  fruits,  with  native  sugar  in  cakes  for  dessert. 
The  board  piled  with  food  was  set  before  me,  and  I  was 
invited  to  partake.  They  were  delighted  that  I  could 
eat  and  enjoy  it. 

After  all  had  finished  their  meal,  the  exercises  of 
the  morning  were  resumed,  with  the  women  now  dis- 
engaged and  free  to  listen.  Long  before  night  Cha  Pu 
Kaw  and  his  brother-in-law,  Cha  Waw,  of  about  the 


326    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

same  age,  expressed  their  firm  belief  in  the  truth  of 
our  religion,  and  their  acceptance  of  the  Gospel  offer 
as  far  as  they  understood  it.  The  women  said  they 
would  follow  their  husbands.  The  sun  was  already 
getting  low  when  we  had  worship  together  before  leav- 
ing. When  we  came  to  bid  our  hosts  good-bye,  we 
found  that  we  were  to  be  escorted  down  by  the  two 
elder  men  and  the  boys,  lest  a  tiger  might  meet  us  on 
the  way.  It  was  almost  dark  when  we  reached  the 
chapel. — A  day  never  to  be  forgotten ! 

At  the  chapel  I  found  letters  from  Chiengmai  bring- 
ing the  news  that  Mrs.  Phraner's  long  and  painful  suf- 
ferings were  ended.  She  died  on  February  13th.  All 
that  three  able  physicians  could  do  was  done;  but  in 
vain.  Her  mother  and  her  family  were  never  willing 
that  she  should  become  a  missionary,  being  sure  that 
she  could  not  endure  the  strain  of  a  missionary's  life. 
That  fact  filled  the  husband's  cup  of  sorrow  to  over- 
flowing. My  letter  stated  that  he  was  beside  himself 
with  grief;  that  the  physicians,  and,  in  fact,  the  whole 
mission,  strongly  advised  him  to  join  me  on  my  tour; 
and  that  he  would  reach  me  not  long  after  the  letter. 

On  the  following  Friday,  while  getting  the  new 
chapel  ready,  I  heard  the  shout,  "  There  comes  the  new 
teacher!"  He  was  worn  and  haggard,  and  visibly 
older  than  when  I  left  him ;  but  making  a  brave  effort 
to  be  cheerful.     He  said  very  little  of  his  great  loss. 

On  Sunday  the  whole  Milso  village  was  on  hand  long 
before  the  hour  for  worship.  The  women  came  with 
their  babes  tied  with  a  scarf  to  the  mother's  back,  ac- 
cording to  their  custom.  The  news  that  they  were 
become  Christians  had  spread,  and  drew  a  larger  num- 
ber than  usual  of  our  non-Christian  neighbours  to  the 
services.     The   Christians,   too,   were  greatly   encour- 


J 


,.a) 


STRENGTHENING  THE  STAKES  327 

aged  thereby.  In  the  afternoon  a  few  of  the  tribe 
from  another  village  were  present,  and  listened  with 
surprise  to  Cha  Pii  Kaw's  first  sermon.  He  had  evi- 
dently entered  upon  his  new  faith  in  earnest,  and  was 
not  ashamed  to  bear  his  testimony. 

On  Monday  we  moved  on  to  Chieng  Rai,  where  I  was 
to  direct  the  removal  of  a  house  to  the  lot  which  the 
Governor  had  offered  us.  But  Mr.  Phraner's  condition 
demanded  movement  and  change  of  scene.  Arrange- 
ments were,  therefore,  made  to  have  the  house  moved 
by  others,  while  we  went  on  at  once  to  Chieng  Sen. 
There  we  found  the  Chao  Uparat  just  returned  from  a 
trip  via  Muang  Len  to  Muang  Sing,  some  hundred 
miles  or  so  to  the  northeast  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Me  Kong  River.  He  was  profuse  in  his  praise  both 
of  Muang  Sing  and  of  the  journey  thither;  and  sug- 
gested that  it  would  be  a  fine  opening  for  a  mission, 
and  a  most  interesting  tour.  The  suggestion  seemed 
attractive  to  us  both.  So,  after  a  week  of  work  in  the 
church  and  in  the  city  of  Chieng  Sen,  we  started  for 
Muang  Len  and  Muang  Sing. 

Muang  Len  is  the  common  market  centre  of  a  large 
number  of  hill  tribes  that  inhabit  the  mountain  ridges 
in  all  directions  round  about.  All  the  cities  and  towns 
north  of  Chieng  Sen  hold  a  fifth-day  fair  or  market. 
We  were  fortunate  in  striking  market-day  on  the  Satur- 
day of  our  arrival.  Early  in  the  morning  people  be- 
gan to  pour  into  the  place  from  all  directions.  The 
mountain  tribes  came  out,  their  beaux  and  belles  all 
in  gala  dress,  some  to  buy  and  sell,  and  others  because 
it  was  their  weekly  holiday. 

From  Chieng  Sen  I  had  brought  along  Nan  Suwan, 
the  Lfi  elder,  who  had  come  into  closer  contact  with 
these  mountain  tribes  than  had  our  elders  from  the 


328    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

south.  He  could  make  the  men,  and  especially  the  head 
men,  understand  fairly  well.  To  all  who  understood 
the  Lao  I  could,  of  course,  speak  directly.  We  took 
our  stand  at  the  end  of  the  market,  and  the  crowd 
gathered  about  us.  None  of  them  had  ever  seen  a 
missionary.  None,  save  some  few  of  the  Lao  men,  had 
ever  read  a  book,  or  knew  even  a  letter  of  any  writ- 
ten language.  They  were  children  of  nature,  artless 
and  unsophisticated.  We  pressed  home  the  thought, 
new  to  them,  that  there  must  be  a  maker  of  the  world 
and  of  all  creatures  in  it.  We  told  them  the  old,  old 
story  of  the  infinite  love  of  God,  our  Father,  and  of 
Christ,  His  Son,  who  suffered  and  died  to  save  us,  and 
of  pardon  freely  promised  to  all  who  believe  in  Him. 
This  is  the  final  argument  that  wins  these  people. 

After  the  merely  curious  among  the  crowd  had  with- 
drawn, this  doctrine  of  salvation  from  sin  held  the 
more  thoughtful,  and  brought  them  to  our  tent  in  the 
afternoon,  and  even  far  on  into  the  night.  The  head 
men  especially,  who  were  more  free  to  come  to  me, 
expressed  a  deep  personal  interest  in  the  new  doctrine. 
The  most  interested  and  interesting  man  was  Sen  Ra- 
tana,  the  governor  of  the  Kon  quarter  of  the  city.  We 
met  him  on  Sunday.  On  Monday  we  called  on  him  and 
spent  most  of  the  morning  at  his  house,  explaining  to 
him  the  plan  of  salvation  and  dictating  to  him  por- 
tions of  Scripture  for  him  to  copy;  for  by  this  time 
the  Lao  manuscript  copies  which  we  brought  with  us 
were  exhausted.  He  copied,  also,  the  first  few  ques- 
tions and  answers  of  the  Shorter  Catechism,  hoping 
that  with  these  as  a  key,  he  could  learn  to  read  the 
Siamese  Gospel  and  catechism  which  I  gave  him. 

On  our  return  to  our  tent  on  Monday  evening  we 
found  almost  a  panic  among  our  people.     Some  law- 


STRENGTHENINCt  the  stakes  329 

less  men  had  lounged  about  the  tent  most  of  the  day, 
asking  suspicious  questions  about  how  much  money 
we  carried,  and  how  many  guns,  and  whither  we  were 
going  from  there,  etc.,  etc.  The  result  was  that  those 
who  had  been  most  eager  for  the  trip  beyond  the  Me 
Kong  to  Muang  Sing,  began  now  to  beg  us  to  return. 
Mr.  Phraner,  moreover,  became  uneasy  about  his  bor- 
rowed elephant,  which  would  be  a  great  prize  for  rob- 
bers. So,  after  consultation,  it  was  decided  to  re- 
trace our  steps.  However  disappointing  this  might  be 
to  me,  I  had  at  least  learned  the  road  to  Mftang  Sing 
and  Mftang  Yawng.  The  tour  to  both  those  places,  and 
to  many  others,  was  only  deferred  to  the  following 
year,  when  we  might  hope  to  have  at  least  one  printed 
Gospel  in  the  Lao  language,  and  a  tract  or  two  to  dis- 
tribute. The  news  of  Cha  Pii  Kaw's  conversion  spread 
far  and  wide,  and  was  preparing  the  way  for  further 
work  among  his  tribe. 

Leaving  Mfiang  Len  on  Wednesday,  we  breathed  more 
freely  after  we  had  crossed  the  border  into  Siam.  On 
reaching  Chieng  Sen,  Mr.  Phraner  decided  to  return 
to  Chiengmai.  He  had  reaped  all  the  benefit  possible 
from  change  of  scene.  He  felt  that  he  ought  now  to  be 
in  his  future  home,  settling  down  to  a  systematic  study 
of  the  language.  But  I  greatly  missed  his  pleasant 
company. 

The  object  of  the  missionary's  visit  to  an  outlying 
church  like  that  of  Chieng  Sen,  is  to  "lengthen  the 
cords  and  strengthen  the  stakes " — to  awaken  the 
careless,  to  attract  the  indifferent,  and  to  deepen  im^ 
pressions  already  made.  Within  the  range  of  influence 
of  such  a  church  there  are  always  those  who,  though 
taught,  indeed,  by  its  native  officers,  still  need  further 
instruction  by  the  missionary— who  have  objections  to 


330   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

be  met  and  doubts  to  be  resolved  beyond  the  power  of 
these  ofificers  to  cope  with.  Not  infrequently  some  one 
who  is  already  a  believer  has  a  wife,  a  husband,  or  chil- 
dren on  whom  his  own  final  decision  depends.  These 
must  be  visited  in  their  homes.  Their  confidence  must 
be  won  and  their  friendship  gained  as  a  preliminary  to 
awakening  their  interest  in  our  religion. 

For  the  sake  of  the  Christians  personally,  as  well 
as  for  the  work  in  general,  it  is  important  to  cultivate 
the  friendship  of  the  local  rulers.  It  is  to  them  that 
the  Christians  are  responsible.  And  then  the  Chris- 
tian families  must  be  visited,  their  children  instructed, 
their  difficulties  settled,  their  sick  be  treated,  and  in- 
structed how  to  treat  themselves  in  our  absence;  and 
as  much  Scriptural  teaching  is  to  be  given  as  our  time 
by  night  and  by  day  will  permit.  But  our  most  im- 
portant duty  is  to  instruct  the  elders  themselves,  and 
give  them  an  uplift. 

When  my  work  in  Chieng  Sen  was  done,  I  started 
for  Chieng  Kawng,  taking  Nan  Suwan  along,  for  he 
was  well  known  there  and  in  most  of  the  region  to  be 
visited  as  far  as  Chieng  Rai.  The  Me  Tam,  already 
referred  to  as  the  stream  which  rises  from  under  the 
mountain  west  of  the  plain,  becomes  quite  a  river  as 
it  enters  the  Me  Kong  near  Chieng  Sen.  The  bottom 
land  is  covered  with  reedy  grass  so  tall  that  a  large 
elephant  carrying  a  high  howdah  can  be  seen  only  a 
short  distance  away.  Here  we  lost  our  way  com- 
pletely, and  wandered  about  bewildered  for  a  long 
time. 

When  finally  we  reached  the  stream,  its  trough  was 
so  deep  that  we  failed  in  a  number  of  attempts  to  get 
down  to  the  water.  At  last  we  dug  down  as  best  we 
could  the  edge  of  the  high  sandy  bank,  and,  after  much 


STRENGTHENING  THE  STAKES  331 

urging,  and  some  protest  on  his  part,  my  sadaw  trem- 
blingly reached  forth,  his  front  feet,  lay  down,  and 
slid  like  an  alligator,  dragging  his  hind  legs  after  him, 
till,  with  a  mighty  plunge,  we  landed  in  deep  water. 
It  was  an  awful  sensation  for  the  rider.  The  place 
was  in  a  bayou  with  "  back  water  "  so  deep  as  to  be 
quite  over  one's  head ;  and,  unlike  the  natives,  the  rider 
could  not  swim !  The  landing  on  the  further  shore  was 
little  better.  There  the  elephant  struggled  up  the 
bank  until  he  got  his  forefeet  on  the  edge  above.  Then, 
with  a  gigantic  effort,  he  drew  himself  up  so  suddenly 
that  the  rider  had  to  hold  on  for  dear  life  to  avoid 
being  thrown  over  his  head.  It  was  a  feat  that  only 
an  elephant  could  perform,  and  one  would  much  prefer 
witnessing  it  from  a  distance  to  being  on  his  back  dur- 
ing the  operation. 

At  Chieng  Kawng  I  was  sorry  to  find  the  governor 
sadly  crippled.  In  descending  a  flight  of  steps  he  had 
slipped  to  the  ground,  dislocating  his  ankle  and  bruis- 
ing the  bone.  The  joint  had  been  barbarously  treated, 
was  fearfully  swollen,  and  caries  of  the  bone  had  evi- 
dently set  in.  I  urged  him  to  take  an  elephant  and 
go  to  our  hospital,  as  the  only  possible  chance  of  cure. 
He  was  favourably  inclined  to  the  idea,  and  promised 
to  do  so  after  trying  somewhat  longer  the  incantations 
of  a  noted  sorceress,  who  was  believed  to  have  great 
power  over  wounds.  It  almost  passes  belief  that  such 
an  intelligent  man  could  have  any  faith  in  it.  Yet  rea- 
son and  ridicule  alike  failed  to  dispel  the  hope  that 
she  might  succeed.  The  result  might  have  been  pre- 
dicted. After  giving  him  great  suffering,  the  treat- 
ment cost  him  his  life. 

While  I  was  in  Chieng  Kawng,  a  Nan  prince  re- 
turning from  Mfiang  Sing  brought  the  news  that  nego- 


332   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

tiations  then  on  foot  between  France  and  Siam  would 
put  a  stop  to  all  further  settlement  of  that  district; 
would,  in  fact,  transfer  the  whcle  region  east  of  the 
Me  Kong  to  France.  The  Prince  of  Nan  was  greatly 
disappointed ;  but  little  did  we  think  that  the  transfer 
would  ultimately  prove  an  effectual  barrier  to  our  work 
also.  It  is  surely  one  of  the  anomalies  and  anachro- 
nisms of  the  twentieth  century  that  a  Christian  nation 
of  Europe  should  oppose  the  introduction  of  Chris- 
tianity into  a  region  over  which  it  has  absolute  control ! 

On  the  last  night  before  we  left,  all  the  princes  and 
officers  came  to  see  us,  and  remained  till  midnight. 
They  were  as  loath  to  have  us  leave  them  as  we  were 
to  go. 

The  journey  from  Chieng  Kawng  was  intensely  hot ; 
the  thermometer  standing  at  103°  in  my  howdah  by 
day,  and  on  one  night  in  my  tent  at  96°.  On  the  banks 
of  the  M6  Ing  I  found  native  white  roses  in  bloom 
in  abundance,  and  brought  home  with  me  a  plant 
which  Mrs.  McGilvary  greatly  prized,  for  this  was  the 
only  native  rose  I  had  found  in  the  Lao  territory. 

On  the  way  to  Muang  Tong  I  passed  the  camp  of 
Chao  Wieng  Sa,  a  Nan  prince  whom  I  had  met  in 
his  home  on  two  former  visits.  He  was  overseeing  the 
felling  and  running  of  teak  timber  down  the  M^  Ing 
and  the  Me  Kong  to  Liiang  Prabang.  He  had  received 
and  read  a  Siamese  New  Testament,  was  quite  familiar 
with  the  life  and  teachings  of  Jesus,  and  admired  His 
character.  A  lawsuit  afterwards  brought  him  to 
Chiengmai,  where  I  saw  a  great  deal  of  him.  He  was 
surely  a  believer  at  heart.  To  me  he  was  willing  to 
confess  that  his  only  hope  was  in  Jesus  Christ,  but  was 
not  ready  to  make  a  public  profession  of  his  faith.  I 
love  to  think  of  many  such  whom  I  have  met  as  like  the 


MRS.    MCGILVARV 
1893 


STRENGTHENING  THE  STAKES  333 

Gamaliels,  the  Nicodemuses,  and  the  Josephs  of  Christ's 
day. 

At  Muang  Tong,  as  soon  as  I  dismounted  from  my 
elephant  an  oflScer  met  me  to  enquire  who  I  was,  and 
to  escort  me  to  the  public  sala.  I  soon  learned  that  he 
was  the  brother  of  another  oflScer  whom  I  had  found 
on  the  road  to  Chieng  Rai  the  year  before,  unable  to 
travel  and,  apparently,  sick  unto  death  with  fever.  His 
company  could  not  linger  indefinitely  in  the  forest, 
and  so  had  left  him  there  with  two  men  to  watch  him, 
and  probably  to  see  him  die.  A  dose  of  calomel,  and 
the  quinine  which  I  left  with  instructions  as  to  its 
use,  seem  to  have  cured  his  fever  and  enabled  him  to 
reach  his  home  in  safety.  He  was  himself  now  ab- 
sent, but  his  brother's  heart  had  been  opened  to  friend- 
ship, and  he  did  all  that  he  could  for  my  comfort.  At 
night  he  invited  his  friends  to  the  sala  to  meet  me, 
and  we  had  an  interesting  evening.  In  all  these  places 
Nan  Suwan  and  Noi  Siri  would  often  be  heard  talk- 
ing to  the  audience  after  I  had  retired,  and  until  sleep 
closed  my  eyes. 

During  our  absence  from  Chieng  Rai  a  case  of  op- 
pression, or,  at  least,  of  evident  injustice,  on  the  part 
of  the  Court,  had  led  our  friend  the  governor  to  take  all 
Christians  under  his  personal  protection  as  his  own 
dependents.  The  kindness  was  well  meant,  and  we 
thanked  him  for  it.  But  I  doubted  its  wisdom.  The 
only  scheme  under  which  Christianity  can  really  estab- 
lish itself  in  all  lands,  is  to  have  Christians  stand  on 
precisely  the  same  level  before  the  law  as  Buddhists 
or  Brahmans  or  the  followers  of  any  other  religion. 

From  Chieng  Rai  the  elders  were  sent  on  to  Cha  Pu 
Kaw's  village  to  see  how  the  Miisos  were  getting  on.  I 
followed  them  in  a  day  or  two.    When  I  reached  the 


334    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

chapel  at  Me  KawD,  the  elders  had  returned  from  the 
Muso  village  with  a  glowing  account  of  their  con- 
stancy. This  the  testimony  of  Noi  Tally  a  and  of  all 
the  Lao  Christians  confirmed.  They  had  not  missed  a 
single  Sunday  service;  old  and  young  alike  came,  and 
mothers,  as  before,  bringing  their  children  tied  on  their 
backs.  They  had  shamed  the  Lao  Christians  by  their 
earnestness,  getting  to  the  chapel  first,  studying  hard, 
and  returning  home  late. 

On  Saturday  morning  the  whole  village  came  down, 
and  we  spent  the  day  together.  They  remained  that 
night  as  the  guests  of  the  Lao.  The  next  day,  Sun- 
day, was  largely  given  up  to  their  instruction.  They 
all  had  renounced  the  worship  of  spirits;  they  all  ac- 
cepted Jesus  as  their  Saviour;  they  were  all  diligently 
learning  to  read  and  to  sing.  Their  conduct  was  most 
consistent;  they  had  a  good  reflex  influence  upon  the 
church;  and  their  conversion  was  an  astonishment  to 
the  non-Christian  community. 

These  Miisos  had  all  come,  expecting  to  join  the 
church.  They  had  been  taught  that  public  baptism — 
confessing  Christ  before  men — was  the  consummating 
act,  the  external  seal  of  their  initiation  into  the  priv- 
ileges of  the  church.  Although  we  impressed  upon 
them  that  they  were  not  saved  by  the  mere  ceremony 
of  baptism,  yet  somehow  they  felt  that  without  it  they 
were  not  quite  in  the  church,  and  hence  probably  not 
quite  safe  from  the  spirits.  Since  it  would  be  nearly 
a  year  before  they  would  have  another  opportunity,  it 
seemed  unwise  not  to  receive  some  of  them  at  this 
time.  The  greatest  doubt  was  about  Cha  Waw.  Yet 
he  felt  that  more  than  any  other  he  needed  whatever 
protection  and  assistance  the  church  could  afford  him. 
He  had  begun  with  his  whole  strength  to  break  the 


STRENGTHENING  THE  STAKES  335 

chains  of  his  opium  habit,  to  seek  pardon  and  be  saved. 
He  felt  confident  that  with  God's  help  he  would  suc- 
ceed. 

The  final  decision  was  that,  in  order  to  bind  them 
to  the  service  of  Christ,  they  were  all  to  appear  before 
the  session  and  make  their  profession;  but  that  only 
the  two  old  men  should  be  received  into  full  com- 
munion, and  that  one  grandson  from  each  family  be 
baptized  as  non-communing  members.  It  was  thought 
best  to  let  the  others  wait  till  our  next  visit ;  though  I 
have  never  been  satisfied  that  they  should  not  all  have 
been  admitted  that  day.  Three  of  these  Miiso  boys 
accompanied  me  to  Chiengmai  on  my  return,  and  en- 
tered the  Boys'  School.  It  is  not  at  all  surprising  that, 
in  surroundings  so  different  from  those  of  their  moun- 
tain homes,  they  presently  grew  lonesome  and  home- 
sick. But  they  were  satisfactory  pupils,  and  re- 
mained in  school  long  enough  to  get  a  good  start  in 
reading  and  singing. 

Cha  Waw,  after  a  manful  struggle,  finally  succeeded 
in  breaking  away  entirely  from  his  opium — by  the  help 
of  prayer  and  of  quinine,  as  he  always  believed  and 
aflSrmed.  When  the  non-Christian  tribesmen  with 
their  opium  pipes  visited  his  village,  he  was  accus- 
tomed to  go  down  to  the  elders  at  Me  Kawn,  to  be  away 
from  temptation,  and  under  Christian  influence.  He 
lived  a  number  of  years  after  this  to  attest  the  reality 
of  his  victory — the  only  case  I  have  ever  known  where 
the  victory  was  surely  won. 

That  year  there  was  a  famine  among  all  the  hill 
tribes.  The  upland  rice  was  almost  entirely  cut  off 
by  a  plague  of  rats.  I  do  not  believe  in  "  rice  Chris- 
tians"; but  when  people  are  famishing  with  hunger, 
I  believe  in  feeding  them,  whether  they  are  Christians 


336    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

or  not.  These  did  not  ask  either  for  money  or  for  any 
other  aid.  But  when  I  left  them,  I  made  arrangement 
with  the  Lao  elders  to  furnish  them  with  sixty  buckets 
of  rice,  for  which  I  paid  ten  rupees  in  advance.  They 
were  very  grateful  for  the  aid. 

The  days  spent  among  the  Milsos  that  week  were  in- 
spiring. Glowing  visions  arose  before  us  of  a  new 
tribe  brought  into  the  Christian  church,  of  which  these 
were  the  first-fruits.  On  this  whole  tour,  indeed,  only 
nine  adults  and  seventeen  children  were  baptized.  But 
in  addition  to  the  opening  of  work  among  the  Musos, 
we  had  for  the  first  time  preached  the  Gospel  beyond 
the  borders  of  the  kingdom  of  Siam;  and  our  longing 
eyes  were  turned  toward  the  Sipsawng  Panna,  and 
beyond  the  great  river.  By  this  time  the  rains  had 
already  begun  to  fall.  A  new  season  was  needed  to 
fulfil  our  desires. 

Much  as  I  always  enjoy  my  long  tours,  when  my 
work  is  done  and  my  face  at  last  is  turned  homewards, 
the  gait  of  my  sadaw  seems  distressingly  slow.  On 
reaching  Chiengmai  I  found  all  in  fair  health,  and 
all  departments  of  work  in  full  operation.  But  while 
I  was  still  on  my  way,  word  reached  me  of  the  death 
of  Mrs.  Briggs  in  Lakawn,  only  a  month  and  nine  days 
after  that  of  Mrs.  Phraner.  So  unexpected  was  it 
that  I  was  not  even  aware  that  she  had  been  ill.  In 
answer  to  my  request  for  a  few  particulars  from  Dr. 
Briggs,  I  have  received  the  following,  which  I  know  he 
will  excuse  me  for  transferring  to  these  pages : 

"Mrs.  Alice  Hamilton  Briggs  was  from  Truro,  Nova 
Scotia.  Although  within  a  year  of  graduation,  she  gave  up 
her  medical  course  and  accompanied  her  husband  to  the 
Lao  mission  in  answer  to  the  call  of  the  Board.  When  she 
bade  good-bye  to  the  Secretaries  of  the  Board,  Dr.  Gillespie 


STRENGTHENING  THE  STAKES  337 

said  to  her,  '  It  is  a  pleasure  to  see  you  so  robust  and  strong. 
In  this  respect  you  are  better  off  than  your  husband.  There 
have  been  so  many  missionary  women  who  have  broken 
down  on  the  field,  that  we  are  glad  to  see  that  you  have  a 
reserve  of  health.' 

"  Before  leaving  American  shores,  however,  Mrs.  Briggs 
contracted  a  slight  cough  which  developed  in  severity  during 
the  voyage.  On  her  arrival  in  Siam  it  became  apparent 
that  the  case  was  one  of  pulmonary  tuberculosis.  The  disease 
seemed  to  respond  to  treatment,  and  for  months  improvement 
was  marked.  Up  to  within  twenty-four  hours  of  death  Mrs. 
Briggs  was  so  hopeful  of  a  return  to  health  that  she  refused 
to  allow  her  family  at  home  to  know  of  her  condition.  On 
Saturday  she  was  cutting  out  a  new  dress  for  herself.  On 
Sunday  night  she  passed  away.  Dr.  Briggs  was  spending 
the  evening  with  her,  when  a  call  came  to  attend  a  child 
said  to  be  dying  just  across  the  road.  The  doctor  said  he 
would  be  back  soon.  A  few  minutes  later  he  was  called 
back  too  late  even  to  hear  a  last  word  of  farewell." 

The  event  most  interesting  to  us  as  a  family  during 
the  fall  of  this  year,  1891,  was  the  arrival  of  our  son 
Evander  with  his  young  bride,  and  our  daughter  Mar- 
garet, to  carry  on  the  work  begun  by  their  parents. 
Our  son  had  made  special  preparation  for  translating 
the  Scriptures  into  the  Lao  language,  then  the  most 
pressing  need  of  the  mission. 


XXX 

AMONG  THE  MUSO  VILLAGES— FAMINE 

FOR  the  tour  of  1892  I  was  to  have  the  company 
of  Dr.  McKean  as  long  as  he  could  be  spared 
from  Chiengmai,  which  would  greatly  enhance 
the  value  of  the  trip.  We  had  also  three  native 
evangelist-assistants,  and,  last,  but  not  least,  we  were 
well  supplied  with  Scriptures  and  tracts  in  the  Lao 
dialect.     Our  start  was  made  on  January  5th. 

Our  first  two  Sundays  and  the  intervening  week  we 
spent  in  Wieng  Pa  Pao,  where  we  established  ourselves 
in  the  new  chapel  which  the  people  themselves  had 
built  since  our  last  tour.  We  observed  the  Week  of 
Prayer  with  two  chapel  services  daily,  and  house-to- 
house  and  heart-to-heart  work  in  the  intervals.  The 
church  was  formally  organized  with  thirty-six  adult 
members  and  thirty  children,  three  ruling  elders,  and 
two  deacons. 

From  Wieng  Pa  Pao  we  moved  on  to  the  village  of 
Me  Kawn,  the  centre  of  our  very  interesting  work  of 
the  previous  year  among  the  Miiso  tribe.  The  Sun- 
day we  spent  there  was  a  red-letter  day  in  our  mis- 
sionary life.  Of  it  Dr.  McKean  writes :  "  This  has 
been  a  blessed  day.  All  [of  the  Miisos]  desire  baptism. 
Two  boys  baptized  last  year  were  admitted  to  the 
communion.  Eleven  other  adults  and  seven  children 
were  baptized,  making  twenty-two  Mtisos  now  members 
of  the  visible  church.     One  Lao  girl  was  received  on 


AMONG  THE  MUSO  VILLAGES  339 

confession,  and  three  Lao  children  were  baptized.  Our 
Christian  Musos  were  out  in  full  force.  A  Muso  of- 
ficer and  others  not  Christians  attended  from  another 
village.  Before  this  we  had  visited  these  people  in 
their  homes.  We  found  that  they  had  built  a  good 
chapel  for  their  worship,  a  better  building  than  either 
of  their  own  houses.  They  had  been  very  diligent  in 
observing  the  Sabbath,  in  studying  the  catechism,  and 
in  worship." 

We  could  not  have  been  better  pleased  with  our  first 
success.  The  exclusion  of  this  little  group  from  the 
large  villages  made  it  possible  and  easy  for  all  of  them 
to  become  Christians.  The  whole-hearted  zeal  with 
which  they  entered  the  church  awakened  strong  hopes 
for  the  conversion  of  their  race.  Cha  Pii  Kaw's 
knowledge  of  the  Lao  tongue  was  above  the  average 
even  of  their  head  men.  It  would  be  a  long  time  be- 
fore we  could  have  another  such  interpreter  and  as- 
sistant. And  he  was  nearly,  or  quite,  seventy  years 
old;  so  that  whatever  he  was  to  do  in  teaching  his 
people  must  be  done  soon.  It  was,  therefore,  thought 
best  to  make  a  strong  effort  through  him  and  his  fam- 
ily during  that  season. 

At  our  next  stopping-place,  Nang  Le,  we  came  near 
having  a  serious  casualty.  Our  boys  were  out  on  a 
deer  hunt,  and  one  of  them  bethought  him  of  a  novel 
expedient  for  getting  the  game.  He  climbed  a  tree, 
and  had  the  grass  fired  on  the  other  side  of  the  open 
space.  The  grass  was  tall  and  dry,  and  the  wind  blew 
strong  towards  him.  He  became  so  engrossed  in  look- 
ing for  the  deer  that  he  forgot  the  fire,  till  it  was  too 
late  to  flee.  He  could  climb  beyond  the  actual  flames ; 
but  meanwhile  the  whole  air  had  become  like  the  breath 
of  a  furnace.    When,  at  last,  the  fire  had  swept  past 


340   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

hira,  and  he  was  able  to  descend,  he  was  a  mass  of 
blisters.  The  swiftness  of  the  rush  of  the  fire  alone 
saved  his  life.  Had  it  been  slower,  he  could  not  have 
escaped  suffocation. 

From  Nang  Le  we  visited  a  very  large  Miiso  village. 
It  was  a  steep  foot-climb  of  four  solid  hours,  and,  to 
make  it  longer,  our  guide  missed  the  way.  The  first 
sign  of  human  life  we  saw  was  a  Miiso  girl  alone  watch- 
ing a  clearing.  She  fled  for  dear  life,  till,  recognizing 
Cha  Pu  Kaw's  Muso  speech,  she  stopped  long  enough 
to  point  the  way  to  the  village.  Her  fleet  steps  out- 
ran ours,  and  when  we  reached  the  village,  the  people 
were  already  assembling  to  see  the  unwonted  sight  of 
the  white  foreigners.  But  the  community  was  greatly 
disturbed  over  another  matter.  One  of  their  leading 
oflScers,  it  seemed,  was  accused  of  being  the  abode  of  a 
demon  that  had  caused  an  epidemic  of  disease.  The 
authorities  were  hourly  waiting  for  an  order  from  the 
court  in  Ohieng  Rai  to  expel  him  and  his  family  by 
force  from  the  province.  They  had  heard  of  Cha  Pii 
Kaw's  conversion,  and  were  anxious  to  hear  from  him- 
self his  reasons  therefor— which  he  gave  and  enforced 
till  late  in  the  night.  They  were  expecting,  however, 
on  the  morrow  a  regular  conflict  which  might  result 
in  bloodshed,  and  they  evidently  preferred  that  we 
should  not  be  there.  The  head  Pii  Chan  was  several 
days'  journey  distant.  They  would  confer  together 
among  themselves  and  with  him,  would  let  us  know 
the  result,  and  would  invite  us  up  again  before  we 
left  their  neighbourhood. 

About  midnight  a  fierce  storm  of  wind  and  rain 
broke  upon  us  to  our  great  discomfort.  Our  thin  tent 
afforded  but  poor  protection.  We  doubled  up  our  bed- 
ding over  our  clothes,  and  sat  upon  the  pile  under  our 


J 


AMONG  THE  MUSO  VILLAGES  341 

umbrellas,  and  laughed  at  the  novelty  of  our  situation 
and  the  poor  prospect  of  a  night's  sleep.  But  later 
the  storm  passed  off,  and  we  did  get  a  little  sleep. 
Our  visit  to  that  group  of  Muso  villages  was  evidently 
not  well  timed.  We  took  the  advice  of  their  oflScers, 
and  returned  to  Nang  Le. 

Two  days  later  we  reached  Chieng  Sen.  Here  we  re- 
ceived a  mail  from  home,  with  news  that  Mrs.  McKean 
was  not  well,  and  other  members  of  the  station  needed 
the  doctor's  presence.  It  was  expressed  as  "  the  unani- 
mous judgment  of  the  station  that  he  should  return 
immediately."  We  had  planned  a  regular  campaign  in 
the  Miiso  districts  on  both  sides  of  the  Me  Kong — the 
sort  of  trip  in  which  the  medical  missionary  finds  his 
best  opportunity.  But  the  recall  was  so  imperative 
that  it  could  not  be  ignored.  So  I  was  left  to  continue 
the  work  alone. 

The  Miiso  tribe  was  about  equally  numerous  in  the 
mountain  ranges  on  both  sides  of  the  big  river.  On 
the  east  side  there  were  eleven  villages.  It  seemed  ad- 
visable to  take  that  section  first,  because  they  were  un- 
der Cheng  Sen  rulers,  of  whose  cordial  and  sincere  in- 
terest in  our  work  we  were  sure.  Sen  Chai,  the  head 
man  of  the  large  village  nearest  to  the  city,  was  a 
friend  of  Nan  Suwan,  and  was  strongly  inclined  to 
embrace  our  religion ;  but  felt  the  difficulty  of  break- 
ing the  tribal  bond.  Before  this  I  had  made  him  a 
visit  of  two  or  three  days,  and  saw  clearly  that  our 
only  chance  of  accomplishing  anything  was  to  gain  all 
the  head  men  of  the  eleven  villages.  It  was  actually 
easier  to  win  over  the  whole  as  a  unit  than  to  win  it 
piecemeal.  This  was  a  formidable  task  to  undertake, 
but  with  God's  blessing  on  the  labours  of  Cha  Pii 
Kaw  and  Nan  Suwan,  it  seemed  not  impossible. 


342    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

We  set  out  for  the  first  village  one  morning  shortly 
aften  ten  o'clock.  It  was  four  o'clock  when  we  stopped 
for  rest  at  the  first  cluster  of  houses  on  the  outskirts 
of  the  settlement.  The  news  of  our  arrival  soon 
reached  the  main  village.  When  we  started  again  we 
met  Sen  Chai  with  a  regular  serenade-party  of  men 
and  boys  with  native  reed  instruments,  blowing  their 
plaintive  dirge-like  music,  to  welcome  us  and  escort 
us  in.  Soon  the  population  was  all  assembled — the 
ipaidens  in  their  best  sarongs,  the  mothers  and  grand- 
mothers each  with  an  urchin  strapped  to  her  back  by 
her  scarf,  the  men  coming  in  from  their  work,  and  the 
inevitable  crowd  of  children.  Cha  Pii  Kaw  was  al- 
ready answering  their  questions,  with  Nan  Suwan's 
sympathetic  aid.  They  were  respectfully  shy,  but  there 
was  no  cringing.  Sen  Chai  invited  the  local  Pii  Chan 
and  all  the  villagers  to  assemble  after  their  evening 
meal  to  hear  the  new  doctrines.  We  first  had  worship 
with  singing,  and  prayer  by  Cha  Pu  Kaw.  It  was  the 
first  time  they  had  heard  the  Great  Spirit  addressed 
in  their  own  Muso  tongue.  There  were  frequent  ex- 
clamations of  delight  that  they  were  able  to  under- 
stand every  word. 

And  then,  before  that  motley  crowd,  drinking  with 
them  their  native  tea  from  an  earthen  teapot,  the  men 
seated  close  around,  or  reclining  as  they  smoke  their 
pipes,  the  women  and  children  walking  about  or  sitting 
on  the  ground — we  tell  of  God  the  great  Spirit,  the 
Creator,  and  Father  of  all — the  Bible,  His  message  to 
men — the  incarnation,  life,  and  death  of  Christ,  and 
redemption  through  His  blood.  Before  we  get  through 
you  will  hear  man  after  man  say,  "  I  believe  that.  It 
is  true."  One  man  takes  up  the  story  from  Cha  Pu 
Kaw's  mouth  and  repeats  it  to  another — a  story  that 


AMONG  THE  MUSO  VILLAGES  343 

till  now  he  himself  had  never  heard.  Another  says, 
"  Nan  Suwan  has  told  us  this  before,  but  now  we  hear 
it  from  the  father-teacher." 

Before  we  retired  that  night  Sen  Chai  said  to  us, 
with  the  approval  of  most  of  his  village,  "  Go  on  to 
Sen  Bun  Yiiang  and  the  head  men  of  the  other  villages. 
If  they  agree,  we  will  all  accept  Christianity.  One  vil- 
lage cannot  accept  it  alone.  If  we  do  not  '  kin  waw ' 
with  them — join  in  their  New  Year's  feast — we  shall 
be  treated  as  enemies  by  the  whole  tribe." 

So,  next  morning,  we  set  out  to  find  the  great  Pu 
Chan — the  religious  head  of  the  province.  On  our 
way  to  his  village  we  fell  in  with  a  man  to  whom  Cha 
Pii  Kaw  was  speaking  with  great  earnestness.  I  found 
on  approaching  him  that  he  was  not  a  Miiso,  but  a  Kui 
— of  a  tribe  which  we  had  planned  to  visit  later.  Ho 
was  the  Pii  Chan  of  his  village.  He  had  already  in- 
vited us  through  Cha  Pu  Kaw  to  change  our  plan, 
and  visit  his  village  first.  It  was  nearer^than  the  vil- 
lage we  were  intending  to  visit,  and  we  were  already 
tired  enough  with  our  climb  to  be  willing  to  stop  at 
the  nearest  place. 

The  village  was  a  large  one,  as  mountain  villages  go 
— of  twenty-five  or  thirty  houses,  and  from  two  hundred 
and  fifty  to  three  hundred  souls — in  general  not  un- 
like the  Miiso  villages  we  had  seen.  The  Kiii  language 
also,  while  different  from  the  Miiso,  is  cognate  with  it, 
so  that  Cha  Pii  Kaw  could  still  act  fairly  well  as  our 
interpreter.  His  talk  with  the  Pii  Chan  on  the  way 
had  already  laid  a  good  foundation  for  our  work  in  the 
evening,  when  curiosity  and  interest  in  our  errand 
brought  the  whole  village  together  to  hear  Cha  Pii 
Kaw's  new  doctrine  from  his  own  lips.  The  news  of 
his  conversion  had  already  reached  them,  and  he  had 


344    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

made  a  good  impression  on  the  religious  head  of  the  vil- 
lage.— And,  then,  it  was  something  new  to  see  the  Musd 
boys  able  to  read  and  to  sing.  Nan  Suwan  and  Cha 
Pti  Kaw  led  in  prayer,  the  one  in  Lao  and  the  other  in 
Miisd.  Then  our  religion  was  explained  in  its  two 
leading  ideas — rejection  of  the  spirit-cult,  and  accept- 
ance of  Jesus  for  the  pardon  of  sin  and  the  life  eternal. 
Questions  were  asked  and  answered. 

At  last  the  Pii  Chan  suggested  that,  while  we  con- 
tinued our  reading  and  singing  with  the  women  and 
children,  he  and  the  men,  with  Cha  Pii  Kaw,  withdraw 
to  a  neighbouring  house  and  talk  the  matter  over.  It 
was  evident  that  they  would  be  more  at  their  ease  by 
themselves,  unawed  by  the  presence  of  the  foreign 
teacher.  For  some  two  hours  the  debate  continued. 
I  could  hear  their  earnest  voices  from  the  neighbour- 
ing house,  with  only  now  and  then  a  Lao  word  that  I 
could  understand.  Then  they  returned  to  make  their 
report.  With  oriental  politeness,  they  expressed  their 
gratitude  to  the  "  great  teacher  "  who  had  come  so  far 
and  at  such  expense,  and  had  brought  with  him  a  fel- 
low-mountaineer of  theirs,  to  teach  them,  creatures  of 
the  jungle,  the  way  to  happiness.  They  had  talked 
these  matters  over,  and  understood  them  somewhat,  but 
not  fully.  Some  were  greatly  pleased  with  the  teach- 
ings, and  believed  them  true.  But  they  could  not  yet 
come  as  an  entire  village,  and  they  dared  not  separate. 
Next  morning  we  parted  as  friends.  They  were  glad 
that  we  had  found  the  way  to  their  village.  "  Be  sure 
to  come  again !  "  That  I  thought  surely  I  should  do  ; 
but  this  proved  to  be  my  only  visit. 

At  the  S^n  Liiang's  village,  where  the  great  Pu  Chan 
lived,  we  had  the  same  experience — a  good  reception, 
many  apparently  interested  and  anxious  to  escape  their 


AMONG  THE  MUSO  VILLAGES  345 

own  spirit-worsliip.  A  number  of  the  head  men  said, 
"  If  such  and  such  a  village  accepts  the  Jesus-religion, 
we  will."  But  no  one  could  be  found  to  face  the  clan 
and  make  a  start. 

Thinking  that  our  native  evangelists  might  get  at 
the  heart  of  the  people  all  the  better  if  left  to  do  it 
alone,  and  being  anxious  to  get  my  mail  from  home,  I 
went  down  on  Saturday  to  Nan  Suwan's  to  spend  the 
Sunday  there  with  the  Christians.  On  Tuesday,  to  my 
disappointment,  the  evangelists  returned  to  me  dis- 
couraged. They  were  convinced  that  in  the  dis- 
trict east  of  the  M6  Kong  River,  no  break  in  the 
solidarity  of  the  clan  could  be  accomplished  that 
season. 

But  it  was  important  not  to  leave  these  people  with 
the  impression  that  we  had  abandoned  them.  I  had 
left  Sen  Chai's  village  with  the  promise  to  return.  So 
I  went  up  with  the  Miiso  Christian  boys,  and  spent  a 
last  night  with  them.  The  village  again  assembled, 
and  we  had  an  interesting  evening.  The  Sen  was 
greatly  disappointed  that  none  of  the  other  villages 
would  join  him.  But  the  New  Year  was  at  hand,  when 
the  clan  must  be  unbroken.  They  would  wait  another 
year,  and  try  to  get  the  other  villages  to  join  them.  On 
the  whole,  I  was  encouraged.  When  we  left  them  we 
were  escorted  out  of  the  village  to  the  music  of  their 
plaintive  flutes,  more  like  a  victorious  than  a  van- 
quished army. 

After  a  day  or  two  with  the  Chieng  Sen  church,  we 
visited  the  ridge  to  the  southeast  of  that  city,  between 
it  and  Chieng  Kawng.  Our  experience  there  was  but 
a  repetition  of  that  from  which  we  were  just  come — 
cordial  receptions,  night  audiences,  manifest  interest, 
individual   believers,  anxious  consultations,   promises 


346   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

for  the  next  year;  but  the  tribal  bond  was  too  strong 
to  be  broken. 

But  Cha  Pu  Kaw  was  anxious  that  we  should  not 
pass  by  his  own  mountain  villages  on  the  Me  Kok.  So 
we  turned  southward  again  toward  Chieng  Rai.  This, 
moreover,  was  one  of  those  famine  years,  such  as  we 
have  already  encountered  in  our  story,  and  shall  en- 
counter yet  again;  many  people  were  on  the  verge  of 
starvation.  In  places  we  could  not  get  food  for  our  own 
men.  And  famine  was  beginning  to  be  followed  by 
disease  and  death.  This  was  a  serious  obstacle  to 
our  work. 

Another  serious  obstacle  was  the  use  of  opium,  which 
became  more  prevalent  the  further  west  we  went  along 
the  Me  Kok  range  towards  Mliang  Fang.  We  pres- 
ently reached  villages  where  the  poppy  was  cultivated, 
until,  in  the  last  village,  men,  women,  and  boys,  and 
sometimes  even  girls,  were  its  slaves.  Fevers  and  dys- 
entery prevail  during  the  rainy  season.  These  people 
have  a  very  scanty  pharmacopoeia,  and  no  antidotes 
whatever  for  these  diseases.  Opium  in  some  form  is 
probably  their  surest  remedy.  Many  persons  told  me 
that  they  began  by  using  it  in  sickness.  As  sickness  re- 
curred the  habit  grew,  until  they  were  fast  bound  in 
its  chains.  These  facts  largely  determined  the  char- 
acter of  the  instruction  we  gave,  and  made  our  tour 
a  kind  of  anti-opium  crusade.  Encouraged  and  disap- 
pointed at  every  village,  I  was  still  tempted  on  by 
visions  of  capturing  some  large  village  that  would 
prove  a  more  effective  entering  wedge  for  the  tribe  than 
Cha  Pu  Kaw's  poor  little  hamlet.  The  six  weeks  so 
spent  were  at  the  time  the  most  novel  and  exciting,  as 
well  as  most  arduous,  of  all  my  missionary  experiences 
so  far. 


AMONG  THE  MUSO  VILLAGES  347 

We  took  both  the  old  Muso  men  as  assistants,  and 
the  younger  ones  as  carriers  for  our  equipment.  Our 
first  day's  journey  was  a  fair  sample  of  what  we  had 
to  do  continually.  In  many  places  it  would  be  a  mis- 
nomer to  speak  of  the  track  we  travelled  as  a  path. 
We  left  the  plain  in  the  morning,  and  it  was  half-past 
two  in  the  afternoon  when  we  reached  the  first  summit. 
It  was  five  o'clock  when,  desperate  with  thirst,  we  came 
upon  a  flowing  brook.  There  was,  then,  still  another 
hard  climb  before  we  saw  our  long  looked-for  first  vil- 
lage ahead.  And,  in  general,  because  of  the  habit  these 
people  have  of  planting  their  villages  upon  the  very 
highest  points  where  they  can  get  water,  the  journey 
from  one  of  these  villages  to  another  in  plain  sight, 
and,  apparently,  but  a  short  distance  away,  would  take 
hours  of  the  hardest  travel.  Sometimes  we  would  walk 
weary  hours  through  rain,  or  through  bushes  as  wet  as 
rain,  to  visit  a  village;  only  to  walk  back  again  after 
sitting  three  hours  in  wet  clothes  trying  in  vain  to 
awaken  some  interest  in  old  or  young. 

One  of  the  most  interesting,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
one  of  the  saddest,  cases  we  met  was  that  of  Mftn 
Kamprai,  the  head  man  of  a  village  which  clearly  bore 
the  impress  of  his  character  in  the  intelligence  and  in- 
dustry of  its  inhabitants.  From  opium  he  had  kept 
entirely  aloof  until,  only  a  few  years  before  this  time, 
under  the  stress  of  a  severe  illness,  he  began  to  take  it. 
The  poor  man  now  realized  that  he  was  becoming  a 
wreck,  but  seemed  to  have  no  will-power  left  to  make 
the  effort  to  break  away  from  the  habit.  He  was  much 
interested,  however,  in  his  two  fellow-tribesmen  whom 
I  had  brought  as  my  assistants;  and  Cha  Waw's  ex- 
ample seemed  to  afford  him  a  faint  gleam  of  hope.  If 
we  would  stop  a  week  and  teach  his  people,  and  would 


348    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

stand  by  to  aid  him,  he  would  try.  If  successful,  he 
would  surely  become  a  Christian — and  then  his  village 
would  be  the  one  we  had  been  hoping  for  to  free  itself 
from  the  tribal  bond,  and  become  Christian. 

The  experiment  was,  indeed,  pathetic.  Removing  all 
temptation,  he  began  with  a  desperate  determination 
to  succeed.  We  encouraged  him  with  human  sympathy 
and  the  hope  of  divine  aid.  We  pushed  as  far  as  we 
dared  the  use  of  a  tonic  which  Dr.  McKean  had  given 
me  for  such  cases;  and  it  aided  him  perceptibly.  He 
held  out  manfully  for  several  days.  But,  at  last,  in  an 
evil  hour,  he  could  endure  the  torture  no  longer,  and 
before  we  knew  it,  he  had  resumed  the  use  of  the  drug. 
For  two  nights  he  had  not  slept.  In  his  own  ex- 
pressive language,  it  was  not  his  eyes,  but  his  heart 
that  could  not  sleep.  Poor  man!  his  sufferings  must 
have  been  as  near  those  of  the  infernal  regions  as  it 
is  possible  to  experience  in  the  body.  And  then  his 
absolute  wr-eck  of  mind,  and  the  contempt  he  felt  for 
himself  when  he  gave  up  the  struggle  as  hope- 
less! 

We  spared  no  labour  to  reach  the  homes  of  these 
people,  or  their  hearts.  We  tried  to  become  Miis6s  to 
the  Miis6s  that  we  might  win  them.  Sometimes  we 
had  to  sleep  in  their  huts — on  a  floor  raised  two  or 
three  feet  from  the  ground,  which  the  dogs  shared 
with  the  family,  while  the  pigs  and  goats  were  on 
the  ground  beneath.  In  the  centre  was  a  raised  fire- 
place on  which  the  native  teapot  always  boiled.  Sleep- 
ing-mats or  thin  bedding  lay  about  on  the  floor,  and 
on  this,  before  bedtime,  some  of  the  inmates  would  lie 
down  and  fall  asleep  even  while  listening  to  the  con- 
versation.— But  everywhere  the  tribal  bond  was  too 
strong  to  be  broken. 


AMONG  THE  MUSO  VILLAGES  349 

By  this  time  the  rains  had  set  in.  The  trails — and 
the  leeches  that  infested  them — were  getting  worse  and 
worse.  Soon  the  torrent-streams  would  become  im- 
passable. We  must  return  while  yet  we  could.  Our 
six  weeks'  wanderings  we  retraced  in  four  days  of 
constant  tramping.  It  had  been  a  hard  trip  for  all  of 
us.  I  myself  had  a  touch  of  fever.  It  seemed  good 
on  reaching  our  camp  to  have  once  more  the  luxury  of 
a  chair  and  a  table.  And  then  to  be  on  the  sadaw's 
back  travelling  homewards,  and  to  meet  a  good  mail 
on  the  way !  My  three-score  and  fourth:  birthday  was 
spent  in  the  forest,  and  I  reached  home  safely 
on  the  18th  of  May,  after  an  absence  of  nearly  five 
months. 

The  peninsula  of  Farther  India  is  largely  exempt 
from  the  terrible  scourge  of  famine  which  has  become 
almost  chronic  in  Hindustan,  its  greater  neighbour  on 
the  west.  There  the  population  is  so  numerous  that 
the  normal  production  of  food  is  Just  suJBQcient  to  sup- 
ply its  needs.  Even  a  local  or  a  partial  failure  of  the 
crops  must  produce  distress.  Siam,  on  the  contrary, 
is  happy  in  that  it  not  only  produces  an  abundant  sup- 
ply for  its  own  people,  but  is  a  granary  for  the  sur- 
rounding countries.  The  worst  that  has  ever  been  ex- 
perienced in  Lower  Siam  in  years  of  greatest  scarcity, 
has  been  the  necessity  of  checking  the  export  of  rice. 
The  annual  floods  there  cover  the  whole  country,  so 
that  a  general  failure  of  crops  is,  humanly  speaking, 
impossible. 

In  the  northern  states  the  land  is  higher;  and  con- 
siderable portions  of  it,  being  above  inundation,  are 
directly  dependent  upon  the  seasonal  and  local  rains. 
But  with  a  population  by  no  means  dense,  this  very 


350    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

diversity  of  the  cultivated  areas  is  a  source  of  safety. 
A  season  of  heavy  rainfall  which  drowns  the  lowland 
rice,  is  apt  to  prove  exceptionally  good  for  the  uplands. 
And,  on  the  other  hand,  a  season  of  light  rainfall, 
which  cuts  short  the  upland  crop,  is  apt  to  be  a  good 
season  for  the  flooded  areas.  And  in  considerable  sec- 
tions of  the  country  there  is  the  chance  that  a  second 
crop  in  the  same  season  may  make  good  the  loss  of  the 
first.  There  is  a  further  security  also  in  the  fact  that, 
until  communication  with  the  coast  becomes  such  as  to 
make  exportation  profitable,  the  excess  of  fruitful  years 
remains  unconsumed  in  the  country,  to  supply  the  need 
of  less  fruitful  ones.  It  thus  comes  about  that  scarcity 
amounting  to  a  real  famine  cannot  result  from  the 
failure  of  crops  in  any  single  year.  It  requires  two 
consecutive  failures  to  produce  extensive  suffering 
among  the  very  poor,  and  three  to  result  in  a  real 
famine. 

This  last,  however,  was  the  case  in  1892.  In  1890 
there  was  a  light  crop  throughout  the  land,  with  less 
excess  than  usual  to  be  stored.  In  1891  the  crop  was 
lighter  still.  In  the  eastern  provinces,  particularly  in 
Lakawn  and  Pre,  there  was  very  little  rice  to  be  reaped. 
Famine  conditions  began  there  long  before  the  time 
for  harvest.  People  were  scattering  off  in  squads  or 
by  families  into  Chiengmai  and  the  northern  provinces, 
begging  a  daily  morsel.  They  were  poverty-stricken  as 
well  as  famishing.  The  distress  led  the  brethren  in 
Lakawn  to  make  an  appeal  to  friends  in  the  United 
States  for  a  famine  fund.  Quite  a  liberal  response, 
amounting  to  several  thousand  dollars,  was  made  to 
this  call,  largely  by  the  friends  of  the  Lao  mission. 
The  relief  was  almost  as  timely  for  the  missionaries 
as  it  was  for  the  famishing  people.    Otherwise  they 


AMONG  THE  MUSO  VILLAGES  351 

scarcely  could  have  lived  through  the  long  strain  on 
their  nerves  and  sympathies  caused  by  the  constant 
sight  of  sufferings  which  they  could  not  even  in  part 
relieve. 

The  province  of  Chiengmai  could  have  met  its  own 
needs  until  the  new  crop  came  in,  had  it  not  been  for 
the  constant  draft  upon  its  reserves  to  meet  the  de- 
mands of  Lakawn  and  Pre.  But,  between  high  prices 
offered  and  pity  for  the  less  fortunate,  those  reserves 
were  steadily  drained  away,  until,  during  the  latter 
months  of  the  year,  famine  was  upon  us  in  Chiengmai, 
too.  Bands  of  men  from  destitute  villages,  maddened 
by  hunger  and  unable  to  buy  food,  began  to  roam  about 
the  country  by  night,  or,  sometimes,  by  day,  and  seize 
rice  wherever  any  little  remnant  of  it  could  be  found. 
The  authorities  were  powerless  to  restrain  them  or  to 
keep  order.  The  condition  of  the  more  destitute  prov- 
inces can  better  be  imagined  than  described. 

At  last  the  relief  committee  in  Lakawn  were  asked 
if  they  could  not  spare  us  a  small  portion  of  their 
fund,  for  it  seemed  that  their  condition  could  not  be 
much  worse  than  ours.  A  letter  from  Dr.  W.  A.  Brigga 
brought  us  three  hundred  rupees,  but  with  the  follow- 
ing caveat — the  italics  are  his : 

"  Wherever  we  can  reach  the  absolutely  starving,  that  ia 
a  place  to  invest.  We  do  not  pretend  to  relieve  all  the 
suffering.  Now,  if  the  need  in  Chiengmai,  or  in  the  dis- 
trict mentioned,  is  so  great  that  people  are  actually  dying 
from  starvation,  and  those  now  living  are  living  on  such 
stuff  as  the  sample  enclosed  (cocanut-husks,  leaves,  bark, 
etc.),  with  never  a  grain  of  rice,  then  I  would  advise 
you  to  form  a  Famine  Committee,  and  go  into  the  business 
as  we  have  done.  The  actual  starvation  must  be  attended  to, 
no  matter  where  it  is.  But  our  saddest  experience  is  within 
Pre.     Some  one  should  be  sent  there  at  once." 


352    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

The  scenes  reported  from  Pre  were  harrowing.  I 
will  not  pain  the  reader  by  dwelling  upon  them.  One 
happy  result  followed  the  efforts  of  the  brethren  who 
went  to  the  relief  of  that  district.  While  administer- 
ing to  bodily  wants,  they  preached  the  Gospel,  making 
such  an  impression  that  there  was  a  strong  demand 
for  a  permanent  station  there — which  was  established 
the  next  year,  with  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Briggs  as  pioneer 
missionaries. 

It  should  be  stated  that,  toward  the  last,  the  Siamese 
government  sent  up  supplies  of  rice ;  but,  because  of  the 
distance  and  the  diflBculty  of  transportation,  not  much 
reached  the  suffering  people  in  time  to  help  them;  and 
much  was  lost  in  passing  through  the  hands  of  so  many 
oflQcials. 


XXXI 

CHIENG   RUNG   AND   THE   SIPSAWNG   PANNA 

AT  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  mission  in  December, 
Z\  1892,  the  broad  field  of  Tai  peoples  north  of 
■^  "^  the  frontier  of  Siam  was  discussed,  and  Rev. 
Robert  Irwin  and  myself  were  appointed  to  make  a 
tour  into  that  region  as  long  and  as  far  as  in  our 
judgment  might  be  deemed  wise.  The  tour  occupied 
nearly  five  months — from  January  3d  to  May  25th, 
1893.  This  time  we  went  fairly  well  supplied  with  por- 
tions of  Scriptures  and  tracts,  and  a  good  outfit  of 
medicine.  Of  quinine  we  carried  a  hundred  ounces, 
and  returned  with  less  than  twenty-five.  We  relied  on 
the  medicines  for  the  welcome  they  never  yet  had  failed 
to  win  for  us.  And  Mr.  Irwin  had  a  cornet  which  did 
excellent  service  throughout  the  tour.  For  riding  I 
had  my  big  "  sadaw  "  elephant,  and  Mr.  Irwin  had  a 
pony ;  so  we  could  exchange  mounts  at  our  convenience. 
I  pass  over  the  earlier  portion  of  our  route,  already 
so  often  described,  and  the  two  weeks  spent  among 
the  hill-tribes  visited  on  previous  trips. 

The  chief  object  of  our  trip  was  to  visit,  in  their  an- 
cient homes,  two  northern  tribes  of  the  Lao  race — the 
Kon  and  the  Lt — from  which  very  many  of  our 
parishioners  in  the  southern  provinces  derived  their 
origin.  For,  under  conditions  which  lasted  very  nearly 
down  to  our  own  time,  there  was  almost  constant 
predatory  warfare  going  on  in  this  northern  country — 
853 


354    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

stronger  states  raiding  the  weaker,  and  sweeping  away 
the  entire  population  of  the  districts  they  overran,  to 
plant  them  in  their  own  realms.  Thus  whole  villages, 
and  even  entire  districts,  in  the  Lao  provinces  of  Siam, 
are  peopled  by  the  descendants  of  such  colonies  of  cap- 
tives. We  found  it  unadvisable  to  attempt  both  visits 
in  the  same  season,  and  the  Lu  were  the  more  ac- 
cessible, living  on  the  nearer  slopes  of  the  Me  Kong 
valley.  We  went  up  on  the  west  of  the  river  along 
the  edge  of  the  British  territory,  now  known  as  the 
South  Shan  States,  and  beyond  it  into  Chinese  terri- 
tory, as  far  as  Chieng  Rung ;  ^  then,  returning,  we  made 
a  somewhat  wider  sweep  to  the  east  of  the  river, 
through  French  Indo-China;  finally  recrossing  the 
river  at  Chieng  Lap,  where  we  struck  once  more  our 
outgoing  trail. 

After  leaving  Miiang  Len,  the  utmost  point  of  a 
former  trip,  we  travelled  awhile  by  a  fine  road  along 
the  summit  of  a  ridge  so  regular  as  to  seem  almost  like 
an  artificial  embankment,  and  affording  noble  views 
over  the  valley.  At  Wieng  Mai,  a  recent  offshoot  of 
Mtiang  Yawng,  we  spent  a  most  interesting  Saturday 
and  Sunday.  Here  the  Prince-Governor  sent  to  ask  if 
he  should  not  put  up  a  sala  to  shelter  us  during  our 
stay.  In  the  morning  we  preached  in  the  market- 
place, and  afterwards  I  distributed  medicine  and  talked 
with  the  people  till  noon,  when  I  had  to  flee  away  to 
rest  under  the  shade  of  a  big  tree  by  the  river.  The 
people  seemed  hungry  for  the  bread  of  life.  I  could 
not  supply  all  the  requests  made  for  copies  of  the 
Scriptures. 

Mfiang  Yawng,  the  older  and  larger  city,  we  reached 

^This  name  appears  on  some  maps  as  Chieng  Hung,  initial  r  in  the 
North  being  generally  pronounced  as  h. — Ed. 


CHIENG  RUNG  AND  SIPSAWNG  PANNA       355 

on  Monday  forenoon,  after  a  two  hours'  ride.  An  of- 
ficer met  us  at  the  gate,  and  showed  us  to  the  sala. 
When  the  Chao  Mawm  heard  of  our  arrival,  he  sent 
for  us,  meeting  us  at  the  door.  We  had  a  very  inter- 
esting interview,  but  he  was  not  inclined  to  talk  on 
the  subject  of  religion.  He  told  me  that  the  city  and 
district  had  been  entirely  depopulated  in  1809  by  a 
force  from  Chiengmai,  when  "  nothing  was  left  behind 
but  the  ground."  ^  It  had  recovered  itself,  however, 
and  its  population  was  now  larger  than  that  of  Lam- 
pun.  With  Nan  Suwan  I  visited  the  market  and  the 
Court.  At  the  latter  place  I  learned  that  the  British 
Commissioner  would  arrive  the  next  day.  Knowing 
that  everything  would  be  in  confusion,  we  decided  to 
move  on  the  next  morning. 

From  this  point  on,  our  elephant  was  everywhere  an 
object  of  great  interest.  Sometimes  the  people  climbed 
trees  to  get  a  better  view  of  him.  A  long  day's  march 
brought  us  to  Mftang  Yu,  picturesquely  situated  on 
high  blufifs,  with  deep  gorges  running  down  to  the  Me 
Lui.  Here  we  remained  only  overnight,  leaving  early 
the  next  morning  for  Muang  Lui,  which  we  reached 
about  noon.  That  evening  we  had  a  large  attendance 
at  worship,  the  governor  and  officials  remaining  till 
after  eleven  o'clock.  The  original  population  of  both 
these  districts,  as  well  as  that  of  Muang  Yawng,  are 
now  scattered  throughout  the  provinces  of  Chiengmai 
and  Lampiin. 

1  This  incident  is  a  striking  illustration  of  the  methods  of  warfare 
in  those  days.  The  expedition  in  question  was  directed  against  the 
Burmese,  who  had  established  themselves  in  Muang  Yang  some 
sixty  miles  or  more  to  the  north-west.  On  its  way  it  passed  through 
Muang  Yawng,  where  it  was  loyally  received.  But  being  defeated 
at  Muang  Yang,  it  fell  back  upon  Muang  Yawng,  and  there  gathered 
up  all  the  inhabitants  and  swept  them  off  to  Chiengmai  to  prevent 
their  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy!— Ed. 


356    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

Next  morning  we  crossed  the  beautiful  stream  on  a 
raft,  while  our  elephant  took  the  ford.  During  the 
forenoon  we  came  upon  Captain  Davis  of  the  Commis- 
sioner's staff,  who  had  been  sent  to  make  a  detour  by 
Muang  Sing,  and  was  then  on  his  way  to  join  his  party. 
He  was  resting  by  the  roadside,  ill  with  fever,  and  was 
glad  to  get  from  me  some  quinine. 

The  following  day,  Saturday,  brought  us  to  Mtlang 
Liiang,  the  largest  and  most  important  place  in  the 
valley  and  the  southernmost  of  the  old  Sipsawng  Panna 
confederacy.  The  valley  population  is  wholly  Lft. 
There  is  scarcely  a  NgTu  (Western  Shan)  to  be  found 
east  of  the  Keng  Tung  watershed.  Here  were  the  best 
roads  we  had  seen  anywhere  in  Farther  India,  with 
a  real  arched  bridge  of  stone  across  the  stream  at 
the  entrance  to  the  city.  Early  next  morning  we  were 
awakened  by  a  noisy  crowd  about  our  tent,  anxious  to 
see  us.  It  was  the  great  market  day,  so,  instead  of 
attempting  a  regular  service  in  camp,  we  chose  the 
market-place.  There,  whether  reading  or  speaking,  we 
always  had  some  attentive  listeners. 

On  Monday  our  road  lay  for  many  miles  along  the 
summit  of  a  low  ridge  on  which  at  Intervals  were 
fifteen  large  villages,  just  at  the  edge  of  the  long 
fertile  plain,  where  are  the  rice-fields  that  feed  the 
country.  I  never  saw  in  all  my  touring  anything  quite 
to  equal  that  row  of  villages.  It  seemed  too  bad  to 
pass  through  so  many  without  even  stopping. 

On  the  fourth  day  from  Muang  Liaang  we  reached 
Chieng  Rung,  the  limit  of  our  northward  journey.  Its 
location  is  strikingly  beautiful,  on  a  high  steep  bluff 
overlooking  the  Me  Kong  River,  which  sweeps  in  a 
majestic  curve  about  its  base.  It  is  in  Chinese  terri- 
tory, and  is  ruled  by  a  Chao  Fa  appointed  from  Yun- 


CHIENG  RUNG  AND  SIPSAWNG  PANNA       357 

nan.  An  oflficer  from  Yunnan  was  there  at  the  time 
collecting  tribute.  The  influence  of  the  English  was 
already  felt  there.  Muang  Che,  to  the  west,  had 
rebelled  against  the  Chao  Fa,  who  thereupon  sent  out 
an  expedition  which  captured  and  brought  away  some 
three  hundred  families  of  the  inhabitants.  But  Eng- 
land cannot  allow  border  warfare  to  go  on  along  her 
frontier.  An  English  officer  appeared  on  the  scene,  and 
the  thing  was  stopped. 

At  Chieng  Rung  we  were  still  in  the  midst  of  an 
area  of  Lao-speaking  people — an  area  which  extended 
far  beyond  on  every  side.  I  gave  a  portion  of  Scrip- 
ture to  a  JjtL  whose  home  was  ten  days'  journey  north- 
ward ;  and  others  to  men  from  as  far  to  the  east  and  to 
the  west. 

We  had  an  interview  with  the  Chao  Fa  by  previougL*" 
appointment.     At  the  door  the  officer  suggested  that,, 
we  pull  off  our  shoes.     We  replied  that  it  was  not  our-^ 
custom,  and  was  unnecessary.     He  looked  very  douht  . 
ful,  but  said  no  more,  and  we  walked  in.     The  Chao 
Fa  received  us  courteously.    We  took  him  to  be  a  man 
of  no  great  strength  of  character,  about  forty  years  of 
age,  and  somewhat  weakened  by  the  use  of  opium.     He 
asked  whether  we  had  not  some  antidote  to  enable  him 
to  stop  its  use.     He  listened  attentively  to  our  state- 
ment of  the  object  of  our  coming,  and  said,  "  You  are 
merit-makers,  and  that  is  a  good  work." 

When  we  called  at  the  court,  the  presiding  officer 
had  a  wise  suggestion  as  to  how  we  might  further  our 
purpose  and  establish  our  religion  in  the  place — a  sug- 
gestion evidently  not  originating  with  himself,  but 
from  a  higher  source.  "  The  favour  of  the  Chao  Fa," 
said  he,  "  will  be  necessary  and  all-sufficient.  I  see 
you  have  a  fine  elephant.    Just  make  a  present  of  him 


358   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

to  the  Cliao  Fa.  He  will  be  delighted,  and  your  road 
will  be  all  smooth."  I  told  him  that  I  was  an  old  man, 
far  from  home,  and  dependent  on  the  elephant.  So  I 
could  not  part  with  him.  This  same  suggestion  was 
pressed  upon  us  several  times  afterwards,  by  the  high- 
est officials,  and  quite  up  to  the  hour  of  our  departure; 
though  its  form  was  modified  from  a  gift  to  a  sale.  I 
became  at  last  a  little  anxious  about  the  result,  and 
was  somewhat  relieved  when  we  actually  got  away 
without  loss  of  the  elephant. 

I  may  mention  at  this  point  an  incident  of  this  trip 
which  never  came  to  my  knowledge  till  thirteen  years 
later,  showing  how  we  were  providentially  spared  from 
what  would  have  put  a  sudden  and  tragic  end  to  our 
tour  and  to  our  lives.  When  Dr.  S.  C.  Peoples  and 
Dr.  W.  C.  Dodd  were  in  Keng  Tung  in  March,  1907,  the 
presiding  ofiicer  of  the  Court  told  them  that  he  had 
met  Dr.  McGilvary  and  Mr.  Irwin  on  their  way  to 
Chieng  Rung;  that  when  the  people  of  Chieng  Rung 
first  heard  that  some  foreigners  from  the  south  were 
en  route  to  their  capital,  they  planned  to  kill  and 
plunder  them.  But  when  they  saw  that  the  foreigners 
rode  elephants  and  were  accompanied  by  carriers,  they 
decided  that  this  was  probably  the  advance  guard  of  a 
formidable  army,  which  it  might  not  be  well  to  at- 
tack. And  then,  he  said,  the  kindness  of  the  mis- 
sionaries so  completely  won  their  hearts,  that  all 
thought  of  murder  and  plunder  was  given  up. 

Our  return  was  to  be  through  the  region  to  the 
east  of  the  Me  Kong.  Its  northern  cities  still  be- 
longed to  the  Sipsawng  Panna.  But  the  rest  of  it  was 
territory  recently  ceded  by  Siam  to  France.  The  gov- 
erning race — the  people  of  the  plains — were  every- 
where Tai,  speaking  the  Luo  language  and  using  the 


CHIENG  RUNG  AND  SIPSAWNG  PANNA       359 

Lao  literature.  On  its  mountain  ridges  dwelt  numer- 
ous hill-tribes,  especially  the  Kamu  and  the  Lamet. 

The  route  we  were  to  take  crosses  the  river  two  days' 
journey  south  of  Chieng  Rung;  so  we  had  at  first  to 
retrace  our  steps.  We  left  the  city  on  Monday,  March 
13th,  safe  from  unseen  plots,  and  with  our  elephant. 
On  the  second  day,  after  leaving  our  upward  road  to 
strike  across  to  the  river,  we  entered  unexpectedly  a 
large  village,  where  we  met  with  a  reception  ludicrously 
hostile.  At  every  door  men  were  standing  with  guns  in 
their  hands.  We  were  surprised;  but,  supposing  that 
it  might  be  muster-day  or  something  of  the  sort,  we 
passed  innocently  along,  without  challenge,  to  the 
monastery,  where  we  dismounted  and  began  to  unload. 
Then  guns  were  laid  aside  and  the  head  man  and  vil- 
lagers came  up  to  see  us  and  to  offer  assistance.  They 
had  heard  that  foreigners  were  coming  with  elephants 
and  men,  whether  for  peace  or  war  no  one  knew.  So 
they  had  taken  the  precaution  to  be  ready.  When 
they  found  out  our  peaceful  errand,  they  were  ashamed. 
We  had  a  pleasant  visit  and  worship  with  them  that 
evening. 

The  next  stage  of  our  road  was  bad.  In  some 
places  we  had  to  cut  our  way  through,  and  there  were 
difficult  passages  of  brook-beds  and  gorges.  We 
reached  the  river  at  Chieng  Ha  in  a  pouring  rain,  and 
it  rained  again  at  night.  The  next  day  was  the 
Buddhist  sacred  day,  and  we  were  awakened  early  by 
the  crowd  of  merit-makers  and  worshippers — the 
women  and  girls,  as  usual,  in  their  head-dresses  and 
gay  colours,  and  all  anxious  to  see  the  elephant  and 
the  white  faces. 

It  was  10:30  that  morning  before  we  got 
away.    Ourselves,  our  men,  the  saddles  and  luggage, 


360    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

were  carried  over  by  the  ferry.  Nan  Suwan  alone 
faced  the  deep  river  on  the  sadaw  to  guide  him 
through.  At  the  first  plunge  all  of  the  elephant  save 
his  trunk,  and  half  of  the  rider,  went  out  of  sight. 
Thence  on  they  went,  now  up  and  now  down,  till  they 
struggled  out  on  the  further  shore.  Such  an  effort  is 
very  exhausting  to  the  animal,  and  he  has  to  have  a 
good  rest  and  breathing-spell  after  it. 

Muang  Ham,  on  the  eastern  bank,  is  larger  than  its 
neighbour  on  the  west.  Its  governor  was  a  Chao 
Mawm,  next  in  rank  to  the  Chao  Fa  of  Chieng  Rung, 
aiid  his  wife  was  the  Chao  Fa's  sister.  I  had  a  long 
talk  on  religion  with  the  wife.  It  was  a  new  thought 
to  her  that  any  one  could  be  greater  than  the  Buddha, 
though  he  was  neither  Creator  nor  Saviour,  but  only  a 
man.  It  is  unnecessary  continually  to  state  what  was 
everywhere  the  case  throughout  this  trip ;  namely,  that 
we  had  good  audiences  and  interested  hearers.  We 
left  in  every  place  some  books  in  the  hands  of  those 
most  likelj'  to  use  them;  though  we  could  have  used 
to  advantage  many  more,  if  we  had  had  them. 

From  Muang  Ham  two  days'  march  brought  us  on  a 
Saturday  to  Muang  Nun,  the  most  important  city  on 
our  route,  and,  therefore,  a  most  desirable  place  to 
spend  Sunday.  The  city  is  in  the  valley  of  the  Nam 
Ban.  It  has  well  paved  streets,  and  a  very  large 
monastery  on  an  eminence  above,  where  we  camped. 
The  abbot  gave  us  a  hearty  welcome',  and  did  all  he 
could  to  make  us  comfortable.  At  our  night  worship 
the  monks  and  other  visitors  were  very  attentive. 

On  Sunday  morning  we  called  on  the  head  ofificer  of 
the  Court,  and  had  a  pleasant  conversation  with  him, 
for  he  was  both  intelligent  and  inquisitive.  Just  as  we 
w^ere  ready  for  our  own  morning  worship,  the  Chao 


CHIENG  RUNG  AND  SIPSAWNG  PANNA       3(Tl 

Mawm,  a  relative  of  the  Chao  Fa  for  Chieng  Rung, 
sent  to  ask  us  to  call.     We  sent  word  in  reply  that  it  ^ 
was  our  hour  for  worship,  and  asked  whether  he  would, 
perhaps,  like  to  have  us  worship  in  his  residence.    His 
answer  was  a  cordial  invitation  to  come  and  do  so. 

The  Prince  was  young  and  very  pleasant.  He  had  a 
spacious  house,  and  soon  he  had  it  filled  with  his 
own  family,  his  officers,  and  his  people.  Mr.  Irwin, 
as  usual,  had  his  cornet.  We  find  that  singing  our 
Gospel  hymns,  with  a  short  explanation  of  their  cen- 
tral truths,  is  a  better  way  to  hold  a  mixed  crowd 
where  women  and  children  form  a  goodly  proportion, 
than  is  a  regular  service.  Nan  Suwan's  Lu  dialect 
served  a  very  good  turn.  We  had  a  very  interesting 
morning,  and  we  were  cordially  invited  to  hold  a 
similar  meeting  at  night,  when  many  who  had  been 
absent  in  the  morning  might  attend. 

At  night  the  house  was  crowded  with  a  remarkable 
gathering,  for  one  could  hardly  call  it  a  congregation. 
The  invitation,  the  place,  the  attendant  circumstances, 
were  all  unique.  We  sang  and  prayed  and  preached 
with  as  little  restraint  as  if  we  had  been  in  our  own  ^ 
church  in  Chiengmai.  The  part  of  the  service  which 
most  impressed  them  was  Nan  Suwan's  prayer — a  di- 
rect appeal  to  a  Person  unseen,  whom  he  addressed  as 
Father,  Redeemer,  Saviour,  and  Friend.  Seldom  have 
I  felt  so  strongly  for  any  as  for  these,  that  they  were  as 
sheep  needing  a  shepherd;  hungry  souls  asking  for 
bread,  and  getting  that  which  satisfied  not.  Ethical 
teaching  they  had  in  abundance,  but  no  Divine  Voice 
asking,  "  Wilt  thou  be  made  whole?"  or  saying,  "  Thy 
sins  be  forgiven  thee.     Arise  and  walk !  " 

Next  morning  we  made  our  formal  call  upon  the 
Prince;  but  he  sent  to  our  camp  for  our  books  and 


362   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

the  cornet,  and  soon  we  had  another  congregation,  and 
were  having  worship  again.  In  the  afternoon  the 
Prince  made  us  a  long  call.  Then  there  was  a  con- 
tinuous stream  of  visitors,  mostly  for  medicine,  and  I 
vaccinated  a  number  of  persons.  The  son  of  the  chief 
oflScer  of  the  Court,  a  fine  young  man,  was  almost  ready 
to  come  with  us  to  Chiengmai  to  study  our  religion 
further.  His  father,  too,  was  willing  that  he  should 
come.  The  young  man  promised  that  he  surely  would 
do  so  next  year,  if  we  came  again.  And  now,  seventeen 
years  after  these  events,  it  saddens  me  to  think  no  mis- 
sionary has  ever  been  there  since.  An  occupancy, 
then,  of  those  open  Sipsawng  Panna  States  would  have 
turned  the  flank  of  French  obstruction,  and  have  en- 
sured an  entrance  from  the  north. 

Early  on  Tuesday  morning  we  left  Muang  Nun,  after 
a  visit  all  too  short.  The  Prince,  with  his  officers  and 
a  large  crowd  of  people,  were  on  hand  to  bid  us  good- 
bye. That  day  we  found  our  track  very  much  ob- 
structed by  the  jungle  growth,  and  had  some  difficulty 
in  cutting  our  way  through.  Another  complication 
presently  arose  in  the  illness  of  my  associate,  Mr. 
Irwin.  An  attack  of  indigestion  developed  next  day 
into  symptoms  of  dysentery,  which  made  further  travel 
for  the  time  impossible.  So  we  were  laid  up  until  the 
following  Tuesday  at  Mftang  Wen — and  anxious  nights 
and  days  they  were.  Milder  measures  failing,  we  had 
to  resort  at  last  to  a  most  heroic  treatment  which  I 
had  seen  used  in  the  hospital,  namely,  large  doses  of 
ipecac.  By  this  means  the  disease  was  got  under  con- 
trol; and  by  care  and  dieting  Mr.  Irwin  was  able  at 
length  to  continue  his  journey  on  my  elephant,  though 
throughout  the  rest  of  our  tour  he  was  far  from  being 
well. 


CHIENG  RUNG  AND  SIPSAWNG  PANNA       363 

At  M^ang  Pong,  one  of  the  three  largest  cities  on  the 
route,  we  again  stopped  over  from  Thursday  night  till 
Tuesday.  Here  I  had  an  ague-chill  on  the  night  of  our 
arrival,  but,  with  free  use  of  quinine  and  a  little  rest, 
I  escaped  further  attack.  There  was  a  great  deal  of 
fever  in  the  place,  and  I  spent  much  time  in  minister- 
ing to  the  sick. 

On  Saturday  I  called  upon  the  Prince  and  his  chief 
officer.  I  was  told  that  the  city  furnished  five  hundred 
men  for  the  Chao  Fa's  expedition,  and  had  seventy 
villages  within  its  jurisdiction.  In  former  times  it 
had  been  raided  by  an  expedition  from  Nan,  and  some 
of  the  Nan  villages  to  this  day  are  peopled  by  descend- 
ants of  those  captives. 

On  Monday  the  Prince  and  his  chief  officer  made  us 
long  calls.  The  Prince  had  never  seen  a  repeating 
rifle,  and  seemed  incredulous  that  it  could  fire  twelve 
shots  in  unbroken  succession,  till  I  fired  three  by  way 
of  demonstration.  His  look  of  surprise  was  ludicrous. 
He  must  have  the  gun,  he  said,  to  protect  his  coun- 
try, and  began  bidding  for  it.  At  last  he  offered  a 
fine  riding  pony,  which  I  accepted.  He  was  delighted, 
saying  that  we  two  should  always  be  brothers.  If  I 
should  never  come  again  myself,  he  would  welcome  and 
aid  our  assistants.  Four  years  later  I  did  visit  the 
place,  but  the  Prince  had  been  killed. 

On  Tuesday  we  reached  Muang  Mang,  which  proved 
to  be  one  of  our  most  hopeful  places.  Sitting  in  front 
of  our  tent,  with  the  whole  village  about  us,  we  talked 
till  midnight.  I  had  a  sore  throat,  but  our  assistants 
were  inspired  with  enthusiasm.  At  last  we  almost 
had  to  drive  the  crowd  away. 

Mfiang  Sing  was  the  objective  of  this  portion  of  our 
tour.     I  first  became  interested  in  it  when  it  was  about 


364    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

to  be  occupied  as  a  dependency  of  the  province  of  Nan. 
Mr.  Phraner  and  I  made  an  attempt  to  reach  it  in  1891, 
but  were  turned  back.  Then,  again,  it  seemed  about 
to  fall  into  British  hands,  under  some  old  claim  by 
Burma.  Even  at  the  time  we  were  there,  its  status  was 
still  uncertain.  It  gave  evidence  of  having  once  been 
a  large  city,  and  still  had  a  very  large  territory  under 
its  jurisdiction.  Its  earlier  importance  was  reflected 
in  the  title  borne  by  its  ruler,  Chao  Fa — Lord  of  the 
Sky — a  title  borne  by  no  other  Lu  ruler  south  of 
Chieng  Rung.  My  interest  in  Mfiang  Sing  had  been 
deepened  by  acquaintance  with  a  patient  in  the  Chieng- 
mai  hospital,  of  whose  case  Dr.  McKean  has  kindly 
furnished  the  following  account: 

"  This  Praya  Singhanat,  a  prominent  man  in  the  local 
government,  had  been  for  years  a  great  sufferer  from  vesical 
calculus  and  had  tried  all  kinds  of  remedies  without  avail. 
Fearing  his  disease  had  been  occasioned  by  offending  the 
spirits  in  the  building  of  a  new  house,  he  tore  the  house 
down.  This  gave  him  no  relief.  Although  he  had  spent 
years  in  the  monastery,  and  had  taken  all  the  degrees  of  the 
order,  he  concluded  to  re-enter  it  in  the  hope  of  being  cured 
of  his  malady,  spending  again  six  months  in  the  monastery. 
A  travelling  merchant  who  had  himself  been  cured  of  cal- 
culus by  an  operation  in  the  mission  hospital  in  Chiengmai, 
advised  the  Praya  to  go  there  for  relief.  This  he  determined 
to  do,  not  without  great  opposition  from  the  Prince  and 
from  his  own  family.  But  he  was  determined.  He  sold  his 
possessions,  and  started  with  800  rupees.  His  journey  was 
long  and  painful.  For  weeks  or  even  months  at  a  time  he 
could  not  travel  on  account  of  great  pain.  Once  he  was 
beset  by  dacoits  at  night.  A  part  of  his  money  and  all  his 
guns  were  stolen.  When  he  finally  reached  Chiengmai  twelve 
months  after  leaving  home,  he  was  penniless,  and  of  course 
still  suffering  intensely.  He  was  received  into  the  mission 
hospital  and  was  wholly  relieved  by  an  operation.  A  more 
grateful   patient    one    rarely    sees.     He    regularly   attended 


CHIENG  RUNG  AND  SIPSAWNG  PANNA       365 

service    at    the    hospital    and    evinced    great    interest    in 
Christianity." 

When  we  reached  Mftang  Sing,  we  were  disappointed 
to  find  that  the  Praya  was  away.  But  he  had  loudly 
sung  the  praises  of  the  mission  hospital,  and  that  was  a 
good  introduction  for  us.  The  chief  officer  of  the  Court 
was  a  friend  of  his,  and  he  proved  to  be  a  friend  to  us, 
too.  Hearing  that  we  were  come,  the  Chao  Fa  sent 
for  us,  and  turned  out  to  be  a  relative  of  the  great 
Chao  Fa  of  Chieng  Rung.  Though  not  of  a  nature  so 
deeply  religious  as  some,  he  was  interested  in  religion ; 
and  our  reply  to  his  first  question  as  to  the  object  of 
our  visit,  immediately  introduced  the  subject. 

At  first  he  was  inclined  to  cavil,  asking  such  ques- 
tions as,  whether  Jesus  could  rise  in  the  air  as  Buddha 
did,  and  the  like.  But  this  was  evidently  to  ''  save 
his  face"  before  his  ofiicers.  For  a  while  he  main- 
tained that  the  universe  is  self-existent,  having  come 
into  being  by  the  concurrence  of  the  matter  which  com- 
poses it.  But  presently  he  confessed  that  it  is  too 
complicated  for  that,  and  plainly  shows  design — that 
is,  a  mind  or  Mind.  At  last  he  asked  what  argument 
made  us  foreigners  so  certain  of  our  view  that  we 
should  come  to  ask  them  to  change  their  religion  for 
ours.  We  told  him  that  Jesus  Christ  Himself  was  the 
all-sufficient  argument.  No  matter  how  the  world 
came  into  existence,  we  are  here,  and  we  all  know  that 
we  are  sinners.  The  Buddha  confessed  himself  to  be 
only  a  man,  and  himself  seeking  a  refuge  like  the  rest 
of  us.  Jesus  Christ  claimed  to  have  come  down  from 
heaven,  and  to  be  the  Son  of  God.  He  challenged  the 
world  to  convince  Him  of  sin.  Those  who  knew  Him  in- 
timately saw  something  in  Him  not  only  different  and 


366   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

superior,  but  of  a  different  kind.  He  showed  this  not 
only  by  His  spotless  life,  but  by  the  miracles  that  He 
wrought.  He  claims  to  have  power  to  forgive  sins. 
And  thousands  and  millions  who  have  accepted  Him 
believe  that  He  has  forgiven  them ;  and  show  that  fact 
by  becoming  better  men.  We  talked  thus  an  hour 
and  a  half.  He  evidently  felt  the  force  of  the  argu- 
ments. 

Sunday  was  the  fifth-day  market  or  fair — the  largest 
and  finest  we  had  seen  in  the  north.  The  hill-tribes,  as 
usual,  were  out  in  full  force.  I  was  still  suffering  with 
sore  throat,  but  Mr.  Irwin  and  the  assistants  had  a  fine 
morning's  work,  and  in  the  afternoon  had  a  fair  at- 
tendance at  the  regular  service. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  incidents  of  our  stay  was 
the  night  service,  held  in  the  residence  of  the  Chao  Fa 
at  his  express  request  on  the  evening  before  our  de- 
parture. The  audience  was  mainly  his  own  family 
and  dependents,  and  the  Prince  was  more  free  than 
before.  During  the  singing  he  asked  that  the  cornet  be 
stopped  in  order  that  he  might  hear  the  words  more 
plainly.  When  Nan  Suwan  led  in  prayer,  he  wished  to 
know  if  we  always  prayed  in  that  way.  There  was  the 
usual  sad  refrain — no  hope  of  pardon,  bondage  to  the 
spirits,  the  drawing  to  a  better  way,  but  so  strong  a 
counter-current!  Yet  who  can  tell  how  many,  after 
all,  the  truth  may  have  reached? 

We  left  Miiang  Sing  on  Wednesday,  April  12th. 
There  is  no  need  to  weary  the  reader  with  details  of 
the  ten  days'  travel  before  we  reached  Chieng  Sen, 
or  with  the  varied  incidents  of  our  work. 

At  Chieng  Sen  we  received  letters  that  were  disap- 
pointing to  my  plans.  The  mission  had  unanimously 
decided  that,  partly  for  considerations  of  our  health, 


CHIENG  RUNG  AND  SIPSAWNG  PANNA       367 

and  partly  for  reasons  of  mission  policy,  Mrs.  McGil- 
vary  and  I  should  take  our  furlough  at  once.  We  had 
been  ten  and  a  half  years  on  duty  in  the  field.  My 
wife  was  not  really  sick,  but  was  not  well,  and  the  doc- 
tor advised  her  going.  I  was  very  anxious  to  repeat 
the  same  tour  the  next  year,  in  spite  of  the  few  malarial 
chills  I  had  encountered  this  time.  But  arrangements 
had  been  completed,  and  there  was  no  option  but  to 
submit. 

My  companion  on  this  tour  was  far  from  well,  and 
it  was  important  that  he  should  hasten  home  at  once. 
What  with  daily  rains,  bad  roads,  and  swollen  streams, 
Mr.  Irwin  had  a  hard  trip  of  it  alone  the  rest  of  the 
way;  and  it  was  some  little  time  before  he  was  well 
again.  For  my  return  there  was  no  such  need  of  haste. 
The  work  among  the  Muso  had  been  left,  upon  the 
whole,  in  hopeful  condition.  The  power  of  the  tribal 
bond,  which  almost  annihilated  individual  responsibil- 
ity, had  been  somewhat  weakened.  Many  head  men 
had  promised  to  enrol  themselves  as  Christians  this 
season.  It  was  certain  that  no  tour  among  them  could 
be  made  the  coming  year.     I  must  visit  them  now. 

The  experiences  of  this  visit  were  entirely  like  those 
of  the  previous  ones — everywhere  the  same  warm  wel- 
come, interesting  night  meetings,  earnest  consultations, 
and  ministering  to  the  sick;  days  spent  in  wading 
brooks,  climbing  mountain  ridges,  plunging  down 
ravines,  to  get  from  one  village  to  another,  where  the 
same  round  would  be  repeated.  They  would  all  be- 
come Christians  if  only  another  oflScer  or  two  would 
join  them.  Thus  it  went  on  till  we  had  visited  nearly 
all  of  the  eleven  villages,  and  were  back  at  Sen  Chai's 
and  Sen  Bun  Yiiang's,  where  we  began.  These  people 
were  nearer  to  Nan  Suwan's  Christian  village,  had 


368    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

known  more  of  our  religion,  and,  no  doubt,  were  be- 
lievers in  the  truth  of  our  teaching.  We  talked  with 
them  till  late  at  night,  and  our  parting  with  them  had  a 
tragic  interest.  They  were  apparently  on  the  verge 
of  accepting  the  Gospel.  We  used  our  utmost  en- 
deavours to  persuade  them  to  join  Cha  Pii  Kaw  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river,  and  not  wait  for  the  others 
who  might  come  in  afterwards.  This  was  probably  my 
last  visit ;  but  if  any  sufficient  number  would  join  the 
church,  the  mission  would  not  desert  them.  If  not,  in 
all  probability  the  offer  would  never  be  pressed  upon 
them  again. 

And  so  it  proved  to  be.  About  half  of  the  villages 
were  under  the  governor  of  Chieng  Sen.  The  inhab- 
itants of  these  were  assured  of  their  safety  in  taking  the 
decisive  step,  so  far  as  the  rulers  were  concerned.  But 
some  of  the  larger  villages  were  under  the  governor  of 
Mftang  Len.  His  opposition  was  a  foregone  conclu- 
sion, because  of  his  interest  in  the  opium  traffic.  My 
failure  to  gain  a  large  entrance  among  them  was  one 
of  the  greatest  disappointments  in  my  whole  work. 

That  I  was  not  mistaken  in  the  hopefulness  of  the 
work  among  the  Musos  has  since  been  demonstrated  by 
the  many  thousand  converts  won  among  the  same  tribe 
by  our  Baptist  brethren  in  the  Keng  Tung  region.  At 
the  same  time  they  are  better  prepared  for  such  a  work 
than  were  we.  Their  wide  experience  among  the  Karens 
of  Burma,  and  the  large  number  of  educated  Karens 
through  whom  they  work,  give  them  advantages  in  this 
particular  work  which  our  mission  does  not  possess. 
On  the  other  hand,  it  is  surely  to  be  regretted  that  our 
mission  should  be  limited  in  its  access  to  all  branches 
alike  of  the  Tai  population  found  in  the  northern 
states,  for  which,  by  identity  of  race  and  language  and 


CHIENG  RUNG  AND  SIPSAWNG  PANNA       369 

literature,  we  are  far  better  prepared  than  our  Baptist 
brethren.  For  while,  to  use  a  legal  phrase,  the  mis- 
sionary holds  a  brief  for  no  one  particular  tribe ;  while 
his  commission  and  his  duty  is  to  preach  the  Gospel 
to  all  whom  he  can  reach;  yet  it  is  a  well  recognized 
fact  that  the  Tai  family  has  largely  fallen  to  our  mis- 
sion. And  it  will  be  seen  from  what  we  have  said 
above,  that  we  returned  from  this  trip  with  enlarged 
views  and  bright  prospects  of  opening  up  work  among 
our  own  Tai  people  in  the  north.  It  will  take  years 
of  hard  work  and  a  useless  expenditure  of  time  and 
money  for  any  other  missionary  organization  to  reach 
the  point  at  which  we  were  ready  to  hegin  work  among 
these  people.  But  this  is  a  complicated  question,  the 
tangled  web  of  which  it  is  not  possible  for  any  one 
man  to  unravel. 


XXXII 
THIRD  FURLOUGH— STATION  AT  CHIENG  RAI 

ON  my  return  to  Chiengmai  I  found  preparations 
well  advanced  for  our  departure  on  furlough. 
Embarking  on  June  7th,  we  reached  Bangkok 
on  June  22d,  and  San  Francisco  on  August  12th,  1893. 
Of  the  events  of  that  memorable  year,  I  shall  touch 
upon  only  two  or  three. 

Dr.  J.  H.  Barrows,  the  originator  and  President  of 
the  Parliament  of  Religions,  had  invited  me  to  attend 
and  participate  in  its  meetings.  After,  perhaps,  a 
little  shock  at  the  boldness  of  the  idea — as  if  Christian- 
ity were  to  be  put  on  a  par  with  other  religions — I 
sympathized  with  the  object  as  legitimate  and  proper. 
It  was  merely  doing  on  a  large  scale  what  we  mission- 
aries are  called  upon  to  do  on  a  smaller  scale  every 
time  that  we  hold  an  argument  with  Buddhists  or 
other  non-Christian  people.  The  fairness  of  the  idea, 
and  even  its  very  boldness,  might  do  good;  and  I  be- 
lieve they  did. 

On  the  Sunday  before  the  opening  I  listened  to  a 
really  great  sermon  by  Dr.  Barrows  on  "  Christ  the 
Light  of  the  World."  I  attended  every  session  of  the 
Parliament,  save  at  the  hour  from  11  a.m.  to  12,  when  I 
usually  went  over  to  the  Moody  meetings  to  hear  John 
McNeill,  as  he  was  familiarly  called,  preach  his 
trenchant  sermons. 

If  any  one  went  to  the  Parliament — as  possibly  some 
370 


STATION  AT  CHIENG  RAI  371 

did — hoping  to  hear  Christianity  demolished,  he  cer- 
tainly was  disappointed.  But  there  was  one  criticism 
which  occurred  to  me.  Whatever  may  have  been 
thought  of  the  wisdom  of  the  original  conception  and 
inauguration  of  the  Parliament,  the  Protestant 
churches  might  have  made  a  much  more  imposing  front, 
if  the  ablest  men  of  the  different  denominations  had 
not  stood  aloof,  either  indifferent  or  hostile  to  it.  It 
was  surely  the  opportunity  of  a  lifetime  for  many,  who 
could  not  hope  otherwise  ever  to  address  personally 
the  votaries  of  non-Christian  religions,  to  bring  for- 
ward their  strong  reasons  to  bear  on  so  many  of  the 
most  intelligent  and  presumably  the  most  earnest  seek- 
ers after  the  truth. 

While  attending  these  meetings  in  Chicago,  I  re- 
ceived news  that  our  son,  the  Rev.  Evander  B.  McGil- 
vary,  had  felt  himself  constrained  to  resign  from  the 
Lao  mission.  No  good  can  come  from  now  reviewing 
the  issues  which  led  to  this  step;  and  it  is  needless  to 
say  how  bitter  was  the  disappointment  to  his  par- 
ents, who  had  looked  forward  to  his  carrying  on  their 
work,  and  to  him,  who  had  specially  prepared  himself 
for  that  work,  and  for  no  other.  But  I  must  say  that 
bitter  as  was  the  disappointment,  I  sympathized  with 
his  position,  and  respected  his  motives. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  in  the  fol- 
lowing May,  to  which  I  was  a  delegate,  the  one  all- 
engrossing  business  was  the  trial  of  the  Kev.  Henry  P. 
Smith,  D.D.,  for  heresy  on  the  question  of  the  "  Higher 
Criticism."  Viewing  the  matter  from  this  distance, 
and  entirely  apart  from  the  merits  of  this  particular 
case,  I  doubt  whether  critical  and  scientific  questions 
are  proper  subjects  for  trials  before  such  a  body.  If 
tried  at  all,  such  questions  should  be  tried  by  a  com- 


372   AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

mission  of  experts.  Biblical  criticism  and  science  will 
go  on,  and  the  questions  involved  will  be  decided  ac- 
cording to  their  own  lines  of  evidence,  quite  ir- 
respective of  the  decrees  of  Popes,  Councils,  and  Gen- 
eral Assemblies.  I  am  much  mistaken  if  the  good 
sense  and  temper  of  the  church  would  now  sanction 
heresy  trials  on  such  questions. 

One  day  some  fifteen  years  earlier  than  the  point  we 
have  now  reached  in  our  narrative,  a  letter  came  to 
our  mission  from  a  Mr.  Robert  Arthington  of  Leeds, 
England.  The  letter,  like  all  his  subsequent  ones,  was 
on  small  sheets  of  notepaper,  written  over  once,  and 
then  written  again  crosswise,  so  as  to  be  almost  il- 
legible. The  writer  had  somewhere  learned  of  the 
journey  of  a  French  explorer  who,  from  the  upper  Me 
Kong  and  the  headwaters  of  the  Me  U,  had  crossed 
to  the  China  Sea  through  the  region  now  known  as 
Tonking.  The  traveller  had  passed  through  certain 
tribes  possessed  of  a  written  language  and  supposed 
to  be  of  Aryan  stock.  By  some  means  Mr.  Arthington 
had  heard  of  our  mission,  and  wrote  to  enquire  whether 
some  of  us  could  not  visit  those  tribes  and  distribute 
among  them  "  the  Gospels  of  John  and  of  Luke,  and  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles,"  particularly  "  telling  them  that 
the  Acts  followed  Luke,  and  was  hy  tJie  same  author.'^ 

We  had  not  the  slightest  idea  who  the  writer  was; 
but  the  devout  spirit  of  the  letter  was  charming,  and 
such  interest  in  obscure  tribes  along  the  northern 
border  of  our  field  was  most  surprising.  His  strong 
desire  to  send  the  Gospel  message  to  "  the  regions  be- 
yond "  appealed  to  me.  He  appeared  to  be  a  man  of 
means,  for  he  offered  to  bear  the  expense  of  circulating 
those  three  books.    At  the  same  time  he  was  evidently 


STATION  AT  CHIENG  RAI  373 

somewhat  eccentric  and  impractical  in  his  ideas.  He 
seemed  not  to  have  thought  that  to  circulate  books 
among  newly  discovered  tribes  would  require — since 
the  cessation  of  the  gift  of  tongues — acquisition  of 
their  languages,  translation,  printing-presses,  etc.,  etc. 
But  the  case,  at  all  events,  seemed  worth  following  up. 

I  acknowledged  the  receipt  of  his  letter,  pointing 
out  the  obstacles  which  he  seemed  to  overlook,  direct- 
ing his  attention  to  our  own  mission  as  occupying  a 
new  and  interesting  field,  with  many  hill-tribes  on  our 
own  border  which  we  hoped  to  reach.  I  invited  his 
cooperation,  stating  that  as  soon  as  we  were  properly 
enforced,  we  intended  to  go  as  far  north  as  we  could. 

Almost  to  my  surprise,  Mr.  Arthington  replied  im- 
mediately, expressing  his  interest  in  our  work,  but  still 
reverting  to  his  scheme  for  evangelizing  the  "  tribes  of 
Aryan  stock"  found  by  his  French  traveller.  That 
was,  of  course,  impossible  for  us  to  undertake,  though 
I  did  propose  to  Dr.  Gushing  of  the  American  Baptist 
Mission  in  Burma  to  join  me  in  a  tour  through  that 
region  at  Mr.  Arthington's  expense.  This  plan  had 
attractions  for  us  both ;  but  Dr.  Cushing's  college  work 
made  it  impossible.  Still,  we  might  be  able  to  make 
some  compromise  with  our  unknown  correspondent. 
So,  for  some  years,  I  kept  up  an  occasional  correspond- 
ence with  Mr.  Arthington,  just  suflQcient  to  keep  us  in 
touch  with  each  other.  He  always  replied  immediately 
to  my  letters,  breathing  the  same  deep  interest  in  mis- 
sions, and  especially  in  the  tribes  hitherto  unreached 
by  the  Gospel.  Touring  within  my  own  appointed  field 
engrossed  the  whole  of  my  available  time;  but  since 
that  field  was  already  in  part  supplied,  it  did  not  spe- 
cially appeal  to  him. 

After  the  tour,  longer  than  usual,  taken  with  my 


374    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

daughter  in  1890,  I  sent  him  a  report  of  it.  In  re- 
sponse he  sent  me  thirty  pounds,  which  aided  in  the 
work  of  1891  among  the  Miiso.  The  tour  taken  with 
Mr.  Phraner  in  1892  was  nearer  to  his  idea;  and  the 
one  taken  with  Mr.  Irwin  in  1893  intensely  interested 
him — but  chiefly  because  it  seemed  to  be  a  stepping 
stone  toward  reaching  his  "  Aryan  tribes  "  beyond.  He 
thoroughly  approved  of  that  tour;  expressed  his  re- 
gret that  we  could  not  meet  in  order  to  come  to  a 
clearer  understanding  about  the  geography  of  the 
region — since  all  our  maps  were  defective;  and  sug- 
gested, "  I  should  like  your  daughter  to  go  with  you 
on  your  next  trip,  as  I  can  well  conceive  the  idea  that 
she  will  be  a  valuable  help."  He  was,  moreover,  "  par- 
ticularly interested  that  the  Cambodians  also  should 
have  the  Gospels  of  Luke  and  John,  and  the  Acts." 

Following  up  Mr.  Arthington's  suggestion  of  an  in- 
terview, I  met  him  by  appointment  in  Liverpool  on  my 
return  from  the  United  States.  We  had  only  a  half 
hour's  interview;  but  he  thought  that  sufficient  to  en- 
able us  to  understand  each  other's  plans.  On  reach- 
ing London  I  was  to  make  out  an  order  for  what  sum 
I  needed  for  my  next  work.  This  I  did,  asking  for  the 
modest  sum  of  forty  pounds,  which  I  received  by  return 
post. 

The  trans-Me  Kong  tour,  however,  was  inevitably  de- 
layed. It  was  not  until  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  mis- 
sion in  1896  that  Dr.  Peoples  and  I  were  appointed  to 
make  that  tour,  an  account  of  which  will  appear  later. 
To  complete,  however,  now  the  story  of  my  relations 
with  Mr.  Arthingtou,  I  may  say  that  in  advance  of  the 
Annual  Meeting  just  referred  to,  I  wrote  to  him  that 
the  projected  tour  would  surely  be  taken,  and  sug- 
gested  that  sixty  pounds  would   probably  suflQce  to 


STATION  AT  CHIENG  RAI  375 

cover  its  expense.  His  reply  came  the  day  before  our 
meeting  adjourned,  with  a  cheque  for  seventy  pounds. 
The  timely  aid  seemed  to  anticipate  the  divine  ap- 
proval of  our  attempt.  In  his  letter  he  suggested, 
"  Perhaps  it  might  be  a  good  precaution  for  you  to  let 
the  French  know  your  friendly  object,  and  to  get  full 
permission  to  travel  east  of  the  upper  waters  of  the  Md 
Kong  as  far  as  you  deem  proper  for  your  purpose. 
But,  dear  Brother,  seek — and  I  intend  to  ask  with  you 
— the  Lord's  counsel  and  blessed  comfort  and  guid- 
ance." 

The  tour  was  taken,  as  I  have  already  intimated, 
and  a  full  printed  report  was  sent  to  Mr.  Arthington. 
On  the  whole,  he  was  pleased;  but  it  is  not  easy  to 
serve  two  masters.  I  had  assured  him  from  the  be- 
ginning that  my  first  duty  was  to  my  mission  and 
my  own  field.  Still  he  was  a  little  disappointed  that 
I  had  to  go  so  far  out  of  my  way  to  join  Dr.  Peoples 
in  Nan ;  and  a  little  more  so  that  we  could  not  get  up 
nearer  to  Tongking  to  give  his  favourite  "  John,  Luke, 
and  the  Acts  "  to  the  tribes  supposed  to  be  of  Aryan 
descent,  found  by  the  French  traveller.  To  enable  me 
to  do  this,  he  said,  "  I  believe  I  should  have  great 
pleasure  in  sending  you  all  you  will  need  from  me." 
He  even  intimated  once  that  he  would  be  willing  to 
provide  in  his  will  for  the  continuance  of  that  work. 
While  not  jealous  of  my  connection  with  the  Board, 
it  seemed  to  him  a  tantalizing  thing  that,  while  I  was 
geographically  nearer  his  goal  than  any  one  else,  and 
was,  moreover,  in  sympathy  with  his  devout  spirit 
and  evangelistic  aspirations  to  reach  the  ''  regions  be- 
yond," I  was  not  free  to  carry  out  his  favourite,  though 
somewhat  chimerical,  plans. 

The  last  letter  I  had  from  him  was  dated  October 


376    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

22d,  1898.  His  passion  was  then  as  strong  as  ever  to 
get  his  three  favourite  books  to  "  the  tribes  mentioned 
by  the  French  traveller,  ...  for  they  are  a  people  for 
whom  I  have  desired  much,  since  the  day  I  first  read 
of  them,  that  they  should  have  the  Gospel."  He  ex- 
pressed great  sympathy  with  my  disappointment  that 
the  French  would  not  permit  our  labouring  in  their 
territory,  adding,  "  Yet  the  Lord  will  not  be  robbed 
of  His  own."  His  death  occurred  not  very  long  after 
this.  Of  the  disposition  of  his  large  estate  I  found 
the  following  account  in  the  London  Daily  Graphic: 

"  The  late  Robert  Arthington  of  Leeds,  left  about  £750,000 
to  the  London  Missionary  Society,  and  the  Baptist  Mission- 
ary Society.  The  total  value  of  his  estate  was  £1,119,843. 
It  is  estimated  that  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society  will 
receive  £415,000  and  the  London  Missionary  Society  £335,000. 
The  whole  of  the  money  must  be  spent  in  the  next  twenty 
years  on  new  missionary  work,  and  no  part  of  it  is  to  be 
spent  in  the  United  Kingdom." 

We  reached  Bangkok  on  September  11th,  1894. 
There  we  were  joined  by  the  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Howard 
Campbell  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  C.  H.  Denman,  who  had 
come  via  the  Pacific.  Earlier  in  this  same  year  there 
had  come  to  the  station  in  M6ang  Pre,  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Thomas,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shields,  and  Miss  Hatch;  with 
the  Rev.  and  Mrs.  L.  W.  Curtis  and  Miss  Margaret 
Wilson  for  Lakawn. 

On  our  arrival  in  Chiengmai  we  found  Mr.  Phraner 
very  ill  with  abscess  of  the  liver,  and  suffering  at  times 
intense  pain.  He  had  been  warned  by  physicians  and 
friends  to  desist  from  his  work  and  take  his  furlough. 
But,  as  chairman  of  the  Evangelistic  Committee,  he 
had  been  pushing  the  evangelistic  work  too  eagerly  to 


STATION  AT  CHIENG  RAI  377 

heed  these  warnings.  He  refused  to  leave  his  post 
till  those  who  were  absent  should  return.  Soon  after 
we  arrived  he  started  for  the  United  States,  but,  alas ! 
it  was  too  late.  He  died  in  Singapore  on  January 
15th,  1895,  leaving  a  wife  and  two  little  boys  to  pursue 
their  sad  journey  alone.  Mrs.  Phraner — formerly  Miss 
Lizzie  Westervelt — had  served  a  useful  term  in  the 
Girls'  School  before  her  marriage.  The  Phraner 
Memorial  School  for  small  children,  erected  by  the 
family  and  friends  beside  the  First  Church  in  Chieng- 
mai,  is  an  appropriate  tribute  to  their  labours  for  the 
Lao  race,  to  which  they  devoted  their  lives. 

The  year  of  our  absence  had  been  almost  a  banner 
year  as  regards  successful  evangelistic  work.  Mr. 
Dodd's  Training  School  had  furnished  a  larger  num- 
ber of  fairly  well  prepared  evangelists  than  we  ever 
had  before.  Between  forty  and  fifty  of  these  had  been 
actually  at  work  in  the  field  for  longer  or  shorter 
periods  during  the  year,  and  their  work  had  been  very 
successful.  The  Annual  Meeting  convened  in  Chieng- 
mai  soon  after  our  return.  In  it  there  was  evident, 
on  the  part  both  of  missionaries  and  of  native  as- 
sistants, a  degree  of  enthusiasm  and  exuberant  ex- 
pectancy which,  under  the  most  favourable  circum- 
stances, could  hardly  have  escaped  the  inevitable  re- 
action. Krii  Nan  Ta,  a  man  of  magnetic  power  among 
his  people,  was  then  in  his  prime.  The  great  value  of 
his  services  raised  probably  to  an  excessive  degree  our 
estimate  of  the  necessity  of  more  ordained  native  la- 
bourers. If  one  had  done  so  much,  what  might  a  dozen 
or  a  score  accomplish  ?  And  there  were  the  men,  with 
two,  three,  or  even  more  years  of  training  in  the  study 
of  the  Bible.  Most  of  them  were  elders  or  deacons  in 
the  different  churches.    They  had  proved  faithful  in 


378    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

little.  Why  might  they  not  be  trusted  with  more 
talents?  Nine  of  these  men  were  presented  for  ex- 
amination before  the  Presbytery. 

When  we  began,  it  was  thought — against  the  advice 
of  Mr.  Dodd,  who  was  on  furlough — that  one  or  two 
might  be  ordained  to  meet  the  immediate  needs  of 
the  work.  Some  of  them  had  spent  a  number  of  years 
in  the  Buddhist  priesthood,  and  had  some  knowledge 
of  Pali.  Others  were  without  such  education,  but 
nearly  all  had  learned  to  read  Siamese.  In  Biblical 
knowledge  they  had  made  fair  progress.  When  the 
examination  was  closed,  there  was  a  long  and  anxious 
deliberation,  with  special  prayer  for  divine  direction. 
It  was  quite  safe  to  ordain  one  or  two.  But  the  next 
candidate  was  so  near  the  standard  of  these  that  it 
might  seem  invidious  to  exclude  him — and  so  with  the 
next,  and  the  next.  When  the  vote  was  taken,  six  were 
chosen  for  ordination  and  three  for  licensure.  The 
millennium  seemed  drawing  near! 

With  the  new  title  and  responsibility,  higher  wages 
were  naturally  to  be  expected.  And  it  was  precisely 
upon  this  rock  that  our  hopes  and  plans  suffered  ship- 
wreck. The  Board,  as  never  before,  began  to  insist  on 
the  native  churches  assuming  the  support  of  their  own 
evangelists.  The  methods  of  mission  work  set  forth 
and  practised  in  China  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Nevius  were 
urged  upon  us,  and  became  very  popular,  especially 
with  the  younger  members  of  the  mission,  though  in 
China  they  had  not  passed  beyond  the  stage  of  ex- 
periment. They  are  best  described  in  Dr.  Nevius'  own 
words : 

"  These  two  systems  may  be  distinguished  in  general  by 
the  former's  depending  largely  on  paid  native  agency,  while 
the  latter  deprecates   and  seeks  to  minimize   such   agency. 


STATION  AT  CHIENG  RAI  379 

Perhaps  an  equally  correct  and  more  generally  acceptable 
statement  of  the  difference  would  be,  that,  while  both  alike 
seek  ultimately  the  establishment  of  independent,  self- 
reliant,  and  aggressive  native  churches,  the  '  Old  System ' 
strives  by  the  use  of  foreign  funds  to  foster  and  stimulate 
the  growth  of  native  churches  in  the  first  stage  of  their 
development,  and  then  gradually  to  discontinue  the  use  of 
such  funds ;  while  those  who  adopt  the  '  New  System '  think 
that  the  desired  object  can  be  best  obtained  by  applying 
principles  of  independence  and  self-reliance  from  the  be- 
ginning. The  difference  between  these  two  theories  may 
be  more  clearly  seen  in  their  outward  and  practical  working. 
The  old  uses  freely,  and  as  far  as  practicable,  the  more 
advanced  and  intelligent  of  the  native  church  members,  in 
the  capacity  of  paid  Colporteurs,  Bible  Agents,  Evangelists, 
or  Heads  of  Stations ;  while  the  new  proceeds  on  the  assump- 
tion that  the  persons  employed  in  these  various  capacities 
would  be  more  useful  in  the  end  by  being  left  in  their 
original  homes  and  employments."  * 

The  result  was  that  the  mission  took  a  good  thing 
and  ran  it  into  the  ground.  Economy  became  almost 
a  craze.  The  churches  were  assessed — not  heavily,  it 
is  true — to  support  the  ministers;  and  the  ministers 
were  exhorted  to  take  whatever  stipend  was  agreed 
upon,  and  count  any  deficiency  in  it  as  a  voluntary 
contribution  on  their  part,  or  as  a  debt  they  owed 
their  countrymen  for  the  Gospel's  sake.  Neither 
parishioners  nor  workers  understood  the  scheme.  But 
it  was  tried  for  one  year;  and  at  the  next  Annual 
Meeting  (in  1895)  the  catastrophe  came.  The  churches 
had  been  asked  to  walk  before  they  could  stand;  and 
the  ministers  were  to  work,  as  well  as  walk,  by  faith 
and  not  by  sight.  As  pastors,  their  expenses  were 
necessarily  increased.  They  had  to  dress  better,  and 
to  be  an  example  in  clothing,  and  educating  their  fam- 

^  Methods  of  Mission  Work,  p.  4, 


380    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

ilies,  and  in  hospitality.  It  seemed  to  them  that  they 
were  required  to  make  bricks  without  straw.  A  little 
yielding  to  demands  that  were  not  unreasonable  would 
have  satisfied  the  ministers,  and  the  churches  would 
have  been  encouraged  by  the  continuance  of  some 
support  from  the  Board  for  evangelistic  work,  even 
though  the  amount  was  much  reduced.  The  zeal  was 
well  meant;  but  we  broke  off  too  suddenly. 

For  the  unfortunate  results,  the  mission,  the  native 
ministers,  the  churches,  and,  indirectly,  the  Board 
should  share  the  responsibility.  The  advantages 
gained  by  our  Training  School  were  nullified,  and  all 
progress  toward  a  permanent  Theological  School  was 
at  an  end.  After  those  two  Annual  Meetings  there 
was  no  call  for  theological  training,  and  no  future 
for  a  native  ministry.  So  we  have  to  go  on  appealing 
to  the  Board  and  to  the  American  churches  for 
foreign  workers,  although  the  salary  of  one  of  these 
would  support  half  a  dozen  or  more  native  min- 
isters. 

It  is  easy  to  say  that  native  ministers  and  church 
members  should  be  willing,  out  of  pure  gratitude,  to 
labour  for  the  evangelization  of  their  own  people,  or 
that  such  and  such  other  races  have  done  so.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  Lao  church  is  largely  indebted  for 
its  progress  to  the  power  exerted  by  the  church  itself. 
And  as  to  the  example  of  other  races,  we  must  re- 
member that  there  are  racial  differences.  Even  our 
nearest  Christianized  neighbours,  the  Karens,  stand  in 
a  class  quite  by  themselves  in  this  respect.  We  can 
no  more  apply  one  rule  to  all  oriental  races  than  we 
can  enforce  western  customs  in  the  Orient.  But  we 
certainly  cannot  expect  happy  results  from  the  ap- 
plication of  rules  that  would  have  discouraged  our 


STATION  AT  CHIENG  RAI  381 

own  ancestors  when  the  first  Christian  missionaries 
found  them. 

Among  the  things  of  moi'e  hopeful  augury  accom- 
plished in  the  year  1894,  two  deserve  special  mention — 
the  establishment  of  Christian  Endeavour  Societies 
in  all  the  Lao  churches,  primarily  through  the  efforts 
of  Dr.  Denman,  and  the  publication  of  the  Book  of 
Psalms  and  of  a  hymnal  of  over  two  hundred  hymns 
and  tunes.  The  Psalms  were  translated  by  Dr.  Wil- 
son, and  the  hymns  were  almost  wholly  from  his  pen. 

At  the  Annual  Meeting,  to  which  reference  has  al- 
ready been  made,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  con- 
sider anew  and  report  on  the  question  whether  it  was 
or  was  not  advisable  now  to  occupy  the  northern 
portion  of  the  field  with  a  permanent  station,  and,  if  it 
were  deemed  advisable,  to  determine  the  location.  I 
had  been  anxious  to  have  it  occupied  two  years  before 
this  time,  but  had  yielded  then  to  the  claims  of  Pre 
and  of  Nan — of  Pre  because  the  relief  work  among 
the  sufferers  from  famine  had  furnished  a  most  auspi- 
cious opening  there ;  and  of  Nan  because  it  was  a  larger 
city  and  province  than  any  in  the  nearer  north.  Not- 
withstanding the  greater  progress  of  the  work  in  the 
north,  with  organized  and  growing  churches  in  Wieng 
Pa  Pao,  Chieng  Rai,  and  Chieng  Sen,  there  seemed  to 
be  a  lingering  doubt  as  to  the  wisdom  of  establishing 
permanent  stations  in  cities  so  small  as  these.  Most 
of  my  colleagues  had  never  visited  that  northern  region. 
No  one  save  myself  had  surveyed  the  whole  field.  Yet 
no  part  of  the  work  of  a  mission  is  more  important, 
or  requires  better  judgment,  than  the  location  of  its 
permanent  stations.  Although  fully  persuaded  in  my 
own  mind,  I  did  not  wish  the  mission  to  embark  on  a 
new  project  involving  outlay  of  money  and  of  men, 


382    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

without  the  mature  judgment  of  the  whole  mission. 
Hence  it  was  at  my  own  suggestion  that  the  committee 
was  appointed. 

On  January  20th,  1896,  Dr.  Denman  and  I  of  this 
committee  started  northward.  Mr.  Dodd  joined  us 
later.  It  is  a  great  thing  to  have  a  physician  along 
on  such  a  tour.  He  relieves  a  great  deal  of  suf- 
fering among  a  needy  people,  and  so  lifts  a  great  load 
of  care  from  his  companion.  But  beyond  this,  I  my- 
self had  quite  an  attack  of  fever  on  this  particular  trip, 
and  was  much  indebted  to  his  care  for  my  recovery. 
Then  we  had  the  stereopticon  along,  and  lectured 
nearly  every  night  to  large  audiences.  The  doctor 
manipulated  the  lantern,  and  left  the  explanation  and 
application  to  me.  Those  pictures  have  made  the 
Gospel  story  to  live  in  the  imaginations  of  many  thou- 
sands of  people.  The  occasional  introduction  of  a 
familiar  scene  from  native  life  serves  to  give  confidence 
that  the  others  also  are  real,  while  a  few  comic  ones 
interest  the  children,  old  and  young.  A  picture  of  the 
King  of  Siam — their  King — with  three  of  his  children, 
one  of  them  with  his  arms  about  his  father's  neck, 
always  attracted  great  attention,  and  was  often  asked 
for  again  at  the  close  of  the  exhibition. 

I  had  some  trouble  this  time  with  my  sadaw  ele- 
phant. At  one  stage  his  back  became  so  sore  that  I 
should  have  left  him  behind,  were  it  not  that  he  had  had 
a  serious  encounter  with  a  tusker,  and  I  dared  not  risk 
him  in  that  vicinity.  He  escaped  from  the  encounter 
with  some  bruises,  and  it  was  fortunate  that  he  in- 
flicted no  serious  wound  on  his  antagonist.  And  he 
was  quite  well  again,  before  we  got  home.  This  was, 
however,  the  last  tour  he  made  with  me.  Elephants 
had  become  property  so  unsafe  that,  before  the  next 


STATION  AT  CHIENG  RAI  383 

season,  I  disposed  of  both  of  mine.  In  one  year,  out 
of  three  hundred  and  fifty  elephants  employed  by  a 
timber  firm,  thirty-two  died  and  twenty-two  were 
stolen.  But  it  was  like  parting  with  a  friend  to  see 
the  sadaw  go. 

The  committee  visited  the  three  northern  churches, 
and,  after  full  conference  both  with  the  local  rulers 
and  with  the  Christians,  reached  the  unanimous  deci- 
sion that  there  should  be  a  station  established  in  the 
north,  and  that  it  should  be  at  Chieng  Rai.  In  this 
we  were  largely  influenced  by  the  central  situation  of 
that  place  with  reference  to  a  considerable  group  of 
cities  and  towns  within  the  same  watershed,  and  all, 
like  Chieng  Rai  itself,  rapidly  filling  up  with  an  agri- 
cultural population  crowded  out  from  the  dear  and 
densely  settled  lands  further  south.  And  in  addition 
to  this  was  the  conviction  that  the  new  station  would 
prove  a  stepping-stone  to  the  large  northern  section  of 
the  Tai  race,  established  in  territory  which  is  now  Eng- 
lish, French,  and  Chinese.  We  still  think  that  some 
amicable  arrangement  should  be  made  with  the  Amer- 
ican Baptist  Missionary  Union,  by  which  the  Tai  race 
to  the  north  of  Siam  and  east  of  the  Salwin  should  be 
left  to  our  mission.  The  Union  has  a  great  work 
among  the  hill-tribes — a  work  for  which  they  are  spe- 
cially adapted  and  specially  well  equipped;  while  we 
are  equally  well  equipped  for  work  among  the  Tai. 

Dr.  Denman  viewed  the  field  with  special  interest, 
for  he  had  been  designated  to  help  in  opening  the  sta- 
tion, and  we  had  the  virtual  sanction  of  the  Board 
thereto.  It  was  the  prospect  of  having  a  physician 
that  specially  enlisted  the  interest  of  the  rulers  of 
Chieng  Rai;  though  both  they  and  their  people  were 


384    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

friendly  to  our  work  on  other  grounds.  It  made  us 
sad  to  think  that  our  old  friend  the  governor  had  not 
lived  to  see  the  mission  started.  But  the  beautiful 
lot  given  by  him  on  the  Me  Kok  will  always  be  a 
memorial  to  him.  In  due  time  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Dodd 
and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Denman  moved  up  and  opened  the 
station.  The  years  have  abundantly  justified  the  wis- 
dom of  this  step.  In  1910  the  accessions  to  the 
churches  in  Chieng  Rai  equalled  those  of  the  mother 
church  in  Chiengmai. 

From  Chieng  Sen  we  sent  out  two  parties  of  evangel- 
ists, five  in  each,  well  loaded  with  Scriptures  and 
tracts,  one  northwestward  to  Keng  Tung,  and  the 
other  across  the  Me  Kong  to  Muang  Sing.  This  was 
the  very  first  mission  work  ever  done  in  the  Keng  Tung 
State.  These  parties  carried  also  a  supply  of  medi- 
cines, and  were  limited  in  time  to  two  and  a  half 
months.  They  were  everywhere  well  received,  and  on 
their  return  gave  interesting  reports  of  their  work. 
Their  books  were  eagerly  read,  and  the  supply  of  them 
was  far  too  small.  There  were  a  number  of  interest- 
ing cases  of  believers.  Some  villages  were  loath  to 
have  them  leave.  The  experiment,  in  fact,  was  very 
successful. 

As  soon  as  our  committee  work  was  done,  Mr.  Dodd 
was  obliged  to  return.  After  visiting  the  Muso  villages, 
Dr.  Denman  and  I  moved  on  to  Chieng  Kawng.  This 
town  is  situated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  great  river 
within  the  fifteen-kilometer  zone  which  was  reserved 
as  neutral  territory  upon  the  cession  of  the  left  bank 
to  France.  A  French  military  station  was  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  river,  and  a  small  gunboat  was  lying 
there — the  first  that  ever  came  up  through  the  rapids. 
Among  the  crew  were  two  or  three  who  could  read 


PHYA    SURA    SIH, 
HIGH    COMMISSIONER    FOR    THE    NORTH 


STATION  AT  CHIENG  RAI  385 

English,  and  who  were  very  anxious  to  get  English 
Bibles.  This  was  an  unexpected  request  which  we 
could  not  then  meet.  But  I  applied  for  some  to  the 
American  Bible  Society,  and  received  them  just  before 
I  started  on  my  trip  of  the  next  year;  and,  finally, 
was  able  to  forward  them  to  the  men  from  Liiang  Pra- 
bang.  The  captain  of  the  gunboat  was  very  kind  to 
us  while  we  stayed  at  Chieng  Kawng,  and  was  much  in- 
terested in  having  his  men  get  the  Bibles, 

Letters  were  presently  received  by  Dr.  Denman  sum- 
moning him  back  to  Chiengmai  on  account  of  the  ill- 
ness of  his  wife.  This  left  me  again  without  an  as- 
sociate, and  with  the  added  care  of  the  medical  work, 
which  cannot  be  avoided  on  such  a  tour,  and  which,  of 
course,  rests  more  heavily  on  a  layman  than  it  does  on 
a  trained  physician.  Before  returning  home  I  made 
a  call — and  I  believe  it  was  the  last  one — at  the  Muso 
villages  beyond  the  Me  Kong.  Again  my  hopes  were 
raised  of  gaining  the  whole  tribe.  With  such  a  pros- 
pect I  would  gladly  have  remained  with  them  several 
months.  But  again  I  had  to  leave  them  with  only  the 
"  next  year  "  promise — which  never  was  fulfilled.  I 
reached  home  on  May  5th,  after  an  absence  of  three  and 
a  half  months. 


XXXIII 
THE  REGIONS  BEYOND 

TWO  important  tours  were  undertaken  by  the  Lao 
Mission  in  1897 — one  at  the  opening  of  the  year, 
eastward  and  northward  beyond  the  Me  Kong 
River  into  French  and  Chinese  territory;  and  the  other 
after  the  close  of  the  rainy  season,  northward  into 
British  territory.  The  latter  tour  led  to  far-reaching 
results,  but  it  does  not  come  within  the  scope  of  this 
personal  narrative.  The  former  was  rendered  possible 
by  the  timely  gift  of  seventy  pounds  from  Mr.  Arthing- 
ton,  already  mentioned;  and  represented  the  nearest 
approach  we  could  then  make  toward  the  fulfilment  of 
his  great  desire  to  reach  with  the  Scriptures  those 
"  tribes  of  Aryan  origin "  in  the  "  regions  beyond." 
Dr.  Peoples,  then  of  Nan,  was  my  companion  during 
part  of  this  tour;  and  we  went  well  supplied  with 
Scriptures  and  tracts,  no  less  than  fourteen  carriers 
being  loaded  with  these  alone.  I  left  home  on  Janu- 
ary 12th,  going  eastward  by  way  of  Lakawn  and  Pre 
to  Nan,  where  Dr.  Peoples  was  to  join  me.  At  each 
of  these  stations  I  spent  a  busy  and  a  delightful  Sun- 
day ;  and  from  Lakawn  as  far  as  Nan  I  had  the  pleas- 
ant company  of  Miss  Fleeson  and  Miss  Dr.  Bowman,  re- 
turning to  their  post  from  the  Annual  Meeting. 

One  night  on  this  portion  of  the  trip  we  were 
awakened  by  the  cries  of  our  men  and  the  snorting  of 
the  ponies,  to  find  that  we  had  a  visit  from  a  night 


THE  REGIONS  BEYOND  387 

prowler,  coming  so  near  that  we  heard  the  clatter  of 
the  loose  stones  which  he  dislodged  as  he  sprang  away. 
The  tracks  we  found  in  the  morning  showed  him  to 
be  a  large  Bengal  tiger.  On  this  same  stretch  of  road, 
as  recently  as  1910,  the  mails  for  Nan  were  interrupted 
by  a  man-eating  tiger,  which  killed  several  men  and 
women,  till,  finally,  he  was  despatched  by  Dr.  Peoples 
within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  mission  com- 
pound. 

Ten  days  were  spent  in  journeying  northward 
through  the  great  province  of  Nan,  stopping  night  by 
night  in  its  villages  and  towns,  where  we  always  had 
good  audiences  at  our  evening  worship.  Sunday  we 
spent  at  Muang  Ngon,  and  then  turned  eastward,  strik- 
ing the  Me  Kong  at  Ta  Diia,  and  making  our  way  up 
its  western  bank.  At  Ban  Hui  Kua  we  found  such 
interest  that  we  were  sorry  that  we  must  move  on. 
The  Praya — or  Pia,  as  the  name  is  called  throughout 
this  region — spent  an  afternoon  in  transcribing  in  the 
Liiang  Prabang  character  the  tract  entitled  "  The  Way 
to  Happiness."  He  had  heard  something  of  our  re- 
ligion before  this  from  a  former  princess-pupil  of  Miss 
Cole  in  the  Wang  Lang  School  at  Bangkok.  As  he 
bade  us  good-bye  he  said,  pointing  upwards,  "  I  hope 
we  shall  meet  up  yonder,"  and  seemed  pleased  that  we 
had  the  same  anticipation. 

The  next  Sunday  we  camped  in  the  monastery 
grounds  at  Ban  Hiia  Ling.  The  people  began  to  as- 
semble before  breakfast,  and  long  before  it  was  time 
for  the  morning  service  the  grounds  were  full.  The 
abbot,  with  his  monks  and  the  officers,  sat  directly  be- 
fore me  as  I  explained  the  method  of  salvation  through 
Jesus  Christ.  The  audience  listened  most  attentively. 
At  the  close  the  abbot  and  the  officers  remained  for 


388    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

further  conversation.  The  abbot  expressed  surprise  at 
our  errand.  He  had  never  known  of  anybody's  trav- 
elling about  simply  to  teach  the  people.  Some  ex- 
pressed fear  of  encountering  the  anger  of  the  spirits 
if  they  should  no  longer  worship  them.  To  this  the 
doctor  gave  the  scientific  answer  that  fevers  and  most 
other  diseases  were  caused  and  propagated  by  specific 
germs,  over  which  the  spirits  have  no  control  what- 
ever. This  was  to  them  a  new  idea,  but  they  seemed 
to  comprehend  it.  Next  morning,  when  we  left 
them,  the  people  followed  us  with  expressions  of  re- 
gret. 

When  we  reached  Chieng  Men,  a  town  on  the  west- 
ern bank  of  the  river  and  opposite  Luang  Prabang,  we 
found  a  European  with  a  group  of  boys,  who  turned 
out  to  be  the  French  schoolmaster.  He  invited  us 
to  dine  with  him  that  evening,  and  the  next  day  aided 
us  in  crossing  the  river.  Our  first  duty  in  Luang 
Prabang  was  to  report  to  the  French  authorities,  M. 
Vackle,  the  Commandant  Sup^rieur,  and  M.  Grant,  the 
Commissaire.  They  had  been  notified  from  Bangkok 
of  our  coming,  and  received  us  with  genuine  French 
hospitality.  We  never  met  two  more  perfect  gentle- 
men. They  even  offered  us  a  house ;  but,  as  the  abbot 
of  the  principal  monastery  was  a  personal  friend  of 
mine,  they  yielded  to  our  preference  to  stop  with 
him,  but  only  on  the  ground  that  there  would  be  more 
comfort  and  room  for  our  men. 

That  evening  we  were  invited  to  dine  with  M.  Vackle. 
M.  Grant  and  his  staff  were  present;  and  the  dinner 
was  a  royal  one,  to  which  we  were  prepared  to  do  full 
justice.  We  had  the  embarrassment  of  not  being  able 
to  converse  save  through  a  native  interpreter  not  well 
versed  either  in  French  or  in  English.     But  our  host 


THE  REGIONS  BEYOND  389 

was  most  considerate,  as  were  also  his  French  guests. 
And  every  evening  during  our  stay  we  dined  with  one 
or  another  of  the  officials. 

Next  day  we  called  on  the  Lao  "  King/'  as  he  is  still 
euphemistically  called,  though  possessing  only  such 
powers  as  the  French  give  him.  When  we  made  our 
business  call  on  the  French  officials  to  ask  permission 
to  proceed  on  our  missionary  tour  through  the  French 
territory,  they  were  very  obliging.  We  freely  discussed 
together  alternative  routes,  and  they  offered  us  pass- 
ports for  any  of  them.  When  at  last  with  some  hes- 
itancy, the  question  of  permanent  work  and  a  mission 
station  was  broached,  M.  Vackle  replied  that  for  that 
he  had  no  authority.  Application  would  have  to  be 
made  to  the  Governor  General  at  Hanoi,  and  prefer- 
ably through  Washington  and  Paris.  The  prospect 
still  seemed  hopeful. 

On  the  evening  before  our  departure,  M.  Vackle  in- 
vited us  to  dine  informally  and  spend  the  evening  with 
him  at  his  beautiful  cottage  and  garden  two  miles 
out  in  the  country.  On  meeting  us,  our  host  said, 
"  The  other  night  I  was  the  Commandant  Superieur. 
To-night  I  am  simply  M.  Vackle.  I  want  to  have  a 
pleasant  informal  evening  with  you."  And  surely  we 
did.  We  talked  of  the  old  friendship  between  France 
and  the  United  States,  of  Washington  and  La  Fayette, 
the  Chicago  Exposition,  the  Parliament  of  Religions, 
and  of  M.  Vackle's  own  work  in  the  new  province. 
He  was  interested  in  the  Parliament  of  Religions,  and 
asked  if  Roman  Catholics  were  equally  welcome  with 
Protestants.  He  had  an  exaggerated  idea  of  the  num- 
ber of  our  religious  sects.  We  told  him  that  the  great 
body  of  Protestants  were  included  in  five  or  six  groups 
somewhat  like  the  orders  of  the  Catholic  church,  but 


390    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

there  were  numerous  smaller  subdivisions.  He  had 
heard  of  one  that  lived  wholly  on  milk.  Of  this  we 
had  to  confess  ignorance,  unless  it  were  that  large 
group  that  we  call  infants. 

It  was  after  eleven  when  we  rose  to  take  our  leave ; 
and  even  then  he  detained  us  to  see  by  torchlight  his 
beautiful  garden,  artificially  watered,  and  his  bowling 
alley — insisting  that  we  try  a  turn  on  it.  This  was 
what  I  had  never  done  before,  but  at  the  first  bowl  I 
brought  down  several  pins.  This  pleased  him,  and  he 
said  that  he  had  never  seen  a  better  first  play. 

On  taking  our  final  leave,  we  spoke  a  last  word  for 
permanent  mission  work,  reminding  him  that  while 
Catholicism  and  Protestantism  had  alike  produced 
great  nations.  Buddhism  never  had;  and  that  it  was 
therefore  political  wisdom  to  encourage  and  foster 
the  Christian  religion  in  the  provinces.  He  assented, 
but  said  he  feared  that  the  "  King "  might  imagine 
that  his  subjects  would  be  less  loyal  if  they  became 
Christians.  We  assured  him  that  the  reverse  would  be 
true,  since  it  was  a  fundamental  point  in  our  teaching 
as  well  as  in  the  Scriptures,  that  Christians  were  to 
be  obedient  to  their  rulers. 

Among  the  routes  offered  we  chose  the  northern  one 
as  most  nearly  meeting  Mr.  Arthington's  desires.  Our 
passport  stated  that  we  were  Bat  Liiangs,  i.e..  Cath- 
olic priests.  We  left  Liiang  Prabang  on  Monday, 
March  8th,  crossed  the  Nam  IJ  near  its  mouth,  and 
spent  three  weeks  on  our  way  to  Muang  Sai.  At  one 
point  there  was  a  theft  of  a  considerable  amount  of 
our  money,  which  delayed  us  a  day  or  two,  but  an- 
noyed us  more.  The  thieves  turned  out  to  be  some 
of  our  own  men,  who  afterwards  confessed,  and  eventu- 
ally we  recovered  the  money.    From  Miiang  Sai  there 


THE  REGIONS  BEYOND  391 

is  a  good  route  to  Nan,  and  as  no  man  had  been  left 
in  that  station  along  with  the  ladies,  Dr.  Peoples  felt 
that  he  must  return  to  it,  while  I  should  go  on  north- 
ward to  the  Sipsawng  Panna  and  finally  return  to 
Ghiengmai  along  the  route  which  I  took  with  Mr. 
Irwin  in  1893.  His  departure  was  a  great  loss  to  me 
personally,  and  to  the  effectiveness  of  the  tour.  He 
left  us  on  March  31st. 

The  next  week  was  one  of  intense  interest  to  me. 
One  of  its  days  was  the  thirtieth  anniversary  of  my 
arrival  in  Ghiengmai,  and  fraught  with  memories  of 
the  hopes,  achievements,  and  disappointments  of  all 
those  years.  And  were  we  now,  perhaps,  on  the  eve 
of  a  new  opening  with  wider  possibilities  than  ever? 
So  it  seemed.  For,  one  day  as  I  was  in  the  monastery 
at  Mtiang  Sai,  there  entered  an  officer.  Sen  Suriya  by 
name,  who,  making  the  obeisance  usually  made  to 
priests,  explained  that,  having  been  absent  from  home, 
he  had  not  heard  the  instruction  we  had  given  at  our 
evening  worship.  His  wife,  however,  had  reported  that 
a  teacher  from  a  great  and  distant  country  was  come 
with  Scriptures  and  an  offer  of  salvation  from  the 
great  God  of  all.  It  was  the  great  desire  of  his  heart 
to  be  saved  from  his  sins.  His  interest  was  evidently 
intense,  and  that  roused  our  interest  in  him.  From 
three  o'clock  till  nightfall  our  elders  and  I  explained 
to  him  the  great  truths  of  revelation,  while  he  listened 
almost  with  rapture. 

In  the  midst  of  this  earnest  conference  the  "  achan," 
or  chief  officer  of  the  monastery,  came  in;  and  Sen 
Suriya  joined  us  in  explaining  to  this  friend  the 
strange  news  he  had  heard.  The  achan  was  soon  as 
deeply  interested  as  he.  He  also  desired  to  know 
further  of  this  matter.     Before  we  parted  that  evening, 


392    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

Sen  Suriya  had  accepted  the  teaching  joyfully;  and 
his  friend,  with  more  reservation. 

Soon  others  had  joined  these  two — notably  a  fam- 
ily of  refugees  from  persecution  for  witchcraft.  They 
were  ready  to  accept  anything  which  would  deliver 
them  from  bondage  to  the  spirits.  On  Sunday  at  the 
public  service  the  instruction  was  directed  to  the  needs 
of  these  enquirers,  all  of  whom  were  present.  The  cost 
was  to  be  counted;  the  cross  was  to  be  taken  up;  but 
the  reward  was  great.  Sen  Suriya's  wife  and  family 
all  opposed  him.  He  had  spent  an  anxious  night,  and 
was  under  great  strain;  but  was  still  firm.  He  was 
ready  at  any  cost. 

His  friend  the  achan  had  received  his  appointment 
in  the  monastery  from  the  Pia,  or  head-ofiScer.  For 
honesty's  sake  he  felt  he  must  notify  the  Pia  and  re- 
sign his  position.  It  was,  therefore,  arranged  that  our 
elders  and  I  should  go  with  the  two  friends  on  that 
errand  that  very  afternoon.  We  went,  and  were  kindly 
received.  Sen  Suriya,  as  spokesman,  witnessed  a  good 
confession.  They  had  been  men,  he  said,  who  all  their 
lives  had  sought  merit  and  followed  the  teachings  of 
the  Buddha,  but  with  great  anxiety,  on  account  of  their 
failures.  Now  they  had  learned  of  the  great  refuge  of 
the  God  who  could  pardon  and  save  both  in  this  and  in 
the  coming  world.  Their  motive  was  strictly  religious. 
They  would  be  as  loyal  as  ever,  and  would  perform 
faithfully  their  government  duties.  The  achan  said 
that  his  friend  had  fully  expressed  his  views,  but  he 
wished  further  to  resign  his  position  in  the  monastery. 
The  Pia  listened  with  evident  interest,  but  with  some 
surprise.  When  he  spoke,  he  said :  "  All  that  I  know 
of  religion  I  have  learned  from  these  two  men.  They 
know  manifold  more  than  I  do.     If  they  see  it  right, 


THE  REGIONS  BEYOND  393 

how  can  I  oppose?  I  will  still  take  them  as  my  re- 
ligious teachers,  and  will  learn  Christianity  of  them." 

I  added  a  word,  emphasizing  their  assurance  that 
being  good  Christians  would  only  strengthen  their  loy- 
alty. Thanking  the  Pia  for  his  kindness,  I  retired. 
How  much  of  his  liberality  was  due  to  my  presence — 
if  it  were  so  due  at  all — I  do  not  know.  But  next 
morning  Sen  Suriya  came  to  say  that  he  could  not 
withstand  the  opposition  of  his  wife  and  family.  While 
his  faith  was  firm  as  ever,  he  could  do  no  more  this 
year.  By  another  year  he  hoped  their  opposition  might 
be  relaxed.  Meantime  the  family  of  refugees  had 
weakened.  I  supplied  all  these  with  medicine,  and 
urged  them  to  remain  steadfast  in  the  faith,  reminding 
them  that  baptism  was  not  essential  to  salvation. 

I  had  made  further  stay  in  Muang  Sai  dependent 
upon  the  outcome  in  the  case  of  these  two  men.  So 
now  it  seemed  best  to  continue  my  journey  northward. 
I  went  out  to  a  retired  wooded  hillock,  and  there  spent 
a  quiet  season  in  prayer,  commending  those  in  whom 
I  had  become  so  intensely  interested  to  the  care  of 
the  Divine  Teacher,  and  seeking  direction  for  my 
further  course. 

So  far  we  had  not  met  many  of  the  hill-tribes,  which 
had  been  one  of  the  main  objectives  of  the  tour.  As  I 
descended  from  the  hill,  I  found  some  thirty  Kamus 
just  arrived  on  some  government  work,  and  encamped 
by  the  road.  I  turned  aside  to  speak  with  them,  when, 
to  my  surprise,  one,  taller  and  more  intelligent  than 
the  rest,  answered  me  in  good  Lao.  To  my  greater 
surprise,  when  I  handed  him  a  tract,  he  began  to  read 
it.  It  seems  that,  when  a  lad,  he  had  been  initiated  into 
the  monastic  order  by  the  Princess  of  Luang  Prabang, 
and  was  one  of  the  very  few  of  his  tribe  who  was  a 


394    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

fairly  good  Lao  scholar.  He  was  delighted  to  get  the 
book;  but  I  was  like  a  miner  who  has  found  a  new 
gold  mine.  Had  they  been  ready  to  return  to  their 
homes,  I  should  at  once  have  gone  with  them.  A  new 
vision  seemed  to  open  before  me  of  work  among  that 
interesting  tribe.  I  had  seen  the  great  value  of  the 
help  affotded  by  Cha  Pu  Kaw,  the  first  Muso  convert, 
in  work  among  his  tribe.  But  he  was  not  a  scholar, 
and  was  too  old  to  learn.  Here  was  a  Kamu  scholar. 
Might  he  not  have  been  raised  up  for  this  very  purpose? 

That  evening  I  spent  with  my  elders  in  their  camp. 
I  left  with  my  new  friend  a  number  of  books,  which 
he  promised  to  read  to  his  people.  I  took  down  the 
names  of  their  villages,  and  promised  if  possible  to 
visit  them  next  year — which  they  all  begged  me  to  do. 
That  apparently  casual  meeting  seemed  to  me  a  loud 
call,  Come  over  and  help  us !  And  it  led  to  a  most  in- 
teresting work,  which  was  stopped  only  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  French. 

Leaving  Muang  Sai,  we  journeyed  northward  along 
the  telegraph  road,  enlivened  by  noble  views  of  long 
slopes,  deep  gorges,  and  high  peaks.  We  passed  some 
villages  of  the  Yao  tribe  with  whom  we  could  converse 
only  by  signs.  On  the  third  day  out,  at  Ban  Na  Tawng, 
we  left  the  telegraph  road,  turning  off  at  right 
angles  to  Muang  La.  At  one  village  the  head  man 
assembled  his  people  to  meet  us,  when  he  learned  that 
here  was  a  man  from  seven  days  beyond  the  great 
French  country!  At  one  place  we  passed  a  village  of 
Lentins,  so  named  from  the  district  in  Cochin  China 
from  which  they  came.  They  showed  their  Chinese  in- 
genuity by  having  their  rice-pounding  done  by  water- 
power. 

Muang  Ai  was  the  last  town  in  French  territory ;  be- 


THE  REGIONS  BEYOND  395 

yond  it  one  enters  the  province  of  Yunnan,  China. 
Here  we  had  scarcely  pitched  our  tent  before  the  gov- 
ernor had  read  our  little  tract  on  ''  The  Way  to  Hap- 
piness," and  asked  us  to  stay  awhile  to  teach  his 
people.  This  we  did,  remaining  from  Friday  till  Tues- 
day. He  invited  us  to  worship  in  his  house,  which  was 
filled  to  overflowing.  On  Saturday,  in  company  with 
the  governor,  1  attended  a  wedding  feast.  I  got  along 
finely  with  the  various  dishes  until  a  bowl  of  blood 
fresh  from  a  slaughtered  hog  was  passed  around,  and 
each  guest  took  a  spoonful !  My  note  upon  leaving  the 
town  was,  "  It  is  wonderful  how  many,  especially  of 
the  oflScers  and  the  more  thoughtful  class,  are  struck 
with  the  self-evidencing  truths  of  the  Gospel  on  its  first 
presentation.  And  their  first  thought  is  the  sincere 
conviction  that  the  Gospel  meets  their  wants.  Nor  is 
this  testimony  invalidated  because,  when  they  come  to 
count  the  cost,  they  are  not  willing  to  pay  it." 

I  was  much  pleased  to  hear  uniform  testimony  to 
the  uprightness  of  French  officials.  My  own  respect 
for  French  rule  had  greatly  increased  since  we  en- 
tered their  territory.  Is  it  that  the  Tai  race  beyond 
the  Me  Kong  is  more  religious,  or  is  it  on  account  of 
the  French  rule,  that  people  there  seem  more  deeply 
interested  in  the  Gospel  message?  But  such  has  been 
the  fact.  I  have  never  been  cheered  by  brighter  visions 
of  hopeful  and  speedy  results  of  our  labours.  It  seems 
almost  inconceivable  that  a  European  nation  should 
forbid  missionary  work  among  its  people. 

From  this  point  on  we  were  warned  not  to  allow  our 
party  to  be  separated  on  the  march.  Shortly  before 
this  a  merchant  travelling  with  his  son  had  been  at- 
tacked and  killed.  I  heard  of  two  mountain  tribes  in 
this  neighbourhood  new  to  me,  and  of  a  third  further 


396    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

to  the  northwest,  which  sacrifices  at  every  rice-harvest 
a  human  victim  captured  from  some  other  tribe. 
Scarcel}^  any  one  had  ever  heard  of  the  name  of  Jesus. 

Not  far  from  the  town  we  passed  on  a  ridge  a  well- 
marked  boundary  stone  with  the  letters  R.  F.  (Re- 
publique  Frangaise)  on  one  side,  and  C.  R.  (Chieng 
Rung)  on  the  other,  in  large  Roman  capitals.  Notic- 
ing by  the  roadside  a  large  stack  of  bricks,  we  learned 
that  we  were  near  the  salt  wells,  and  that  the  salt  was 
compressed  into  bricks  for  easier  transportation  on 
mules.  The  salt  industry  makes  Ban  Baw  Re  an  im- 
portant place.  No  one  with  white  clothes,  white  hair, 
or  white  beard  is  allowed  to  enter  the  enclosure  about 
the  salt  wells;  so  I  did  not  see  them.  I  could  get  no 
reason  for  the  prohibition,  save  that  the  spirits  would 
be  displeased. 

The  time  of  my  visit  was  unfortunate,  being  the  be- 
ginning of  their  New  Year  festival,  which  is  always  a 
season  of  carousal.  That  night  we  had  a  scene  that 
defied  description.  After  supper  a  man  came  to  tell 
me  to  get  ready ;  they  were  going  to  "  saw  "  me.  I 
did  not  know  what  '*  saw  "-ing  might  be;  but  I  soon 
learned,  to  my  disgust.  Presently  a  noisy  crowd  en- 
tered the  sala  where  I  was,  with  drums,  fifes,  and  other 
musical  instruments,  and  surrounded  me  with  deafen- 
ing noise  and  songs.  A  great  personage  had  come  to 
their  place,  and  they  were  come  to  do  him  honour. 
He  had  great  riches,  and  they  expected  a  treat  of  fifty 
rupees.  Paying  no  attention  to  my  attempted  dis- 
claimer, they  went  on :  "  Give  us  out  your  money. 
Give  us  fifty  rupees !  Give  us  twenty-five !  "  Pushing 
my  way  out  of  the  noisy  circle,  I  was  followed  with 
more  imperative  demands.  At  last  the  governor's  son 
came  up  as  a  friend  and  advised  me  to  give  them  five  or 


THE  REGIONS  BEYOND  397 

six  rupees,  or  the^^  would  never  depart.  Then  one  of 
my  elders  came  to  me,  anxious  regarding  the  outcome, 
and  said  that  it  was  only  a  New  Year  custom,  not  a 
religious  one — intimating  that  I  need  have  no  con- 
scientious scruples  in  the  matter.  Finally  the  gov- 
ernor's son  said  he  could  get  them  off  with  three  rupees. 
I  had  only  one  in  my  pocket,  and  did  not  dare  open 
my  box  before  that  mob.  At  last  I  handed  the  young 
man  that  one,  and,  with  an  emphasis'  which  they  under- 
stood, told  him  that  I  would  give  no  more,  appealing 
to  his  father  for  protection,  and  holding  him  re- 
sponsible for  the  consequences.  They  went  off  sullenly 
enough.  Having  gone  so  far,  I  doubt  whether  they 
would  have  desisted  without  something  "  to  save  their 
face."  From  me  they  went  to  the  governor's,  and  so 
on,  in  order,  throughout  the  place,  with  their  hideous 
noise,  which  I  could  hear  far  on  into  the  night. 

At  another  village  further  on,  the  people  seemed  in 
doubt  how  to  receive  me,  till  a  young  man  came  for- 
ward and  asked  if  I  were  not  the  man  who  a  few 
years  before  travelled  through  that  country  with  an 
elephant,  and  let  the  Prince  of  Muang  Pong  have  a 
gun.  Then,  turning  to  the  head  man,  he  said,  "  You 
need  not  be  afraid.  He  is  a  teacher  of  the  Jesus- 
religion."  My  standing  in  that  village  was  assured. 
One  of  the  listeners  at  our  worship  in  the  monastery 
that  night  was  much  impressed,  not  with  the  idea  of 
pardon,  as  is  commonly  the  case,  but  with  that  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  purify  and  cleanse.  That  was  what 
he  needed;  and  he  earnestly  enquired  how  to  obtain 
his  aid.  This  led  to  the  subject  of  prayer  to  a  living, 
personal  God,  who  has  promised  this  aid.  We  left  him 
with  the  hope  that  his  great  need  would  be  supplied. 

Miiang  La  was  the  furthest  point  reached  on  this 


398    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

tour.  From  it  we  struck  westward  into  our  old  route 
of  1893  at  Muang  Pong.  The  Chao  Fa  who  got  my 
gun  had  been  killed  by  his  people.  I  was  much  struck 
with  the  judicial  aspect  of  the  act  as  told  me.  One 
of  the  officers  said,  "  He  was  a  bad  man,  who  op- 
pressed the  people,  fined  and  executed  them  unjustly, 
and,  of  course,  we  killed  him.  That  is  the  way  the  Lao 
do."  A  nephew  and  adopted  son  of  the  murdered 
Prince  succeeded  him,  but  the  authority  was  largely  in 
the  hands  of  the  Praya  Liiang,  though  the  young 
Prince's  mother  also  had  great  influence.  She  invited 
me  to  a  good  dinner,  and  we  had  a  most  interesting 
conversation.  Among  other  things  she  asked,  "  How 
is  it  that  you  say  Buddhism  cannot  save?"  and  she 
seemed  much  impressed  with  the  answer :  "  Because 
Gautama  Buddha  is  gone,  and  it  is  more  than  twenty- 
five  hundred  years  before  the  next  Buddha  is  expected." 
We  were  now  travelling  southward,  and  soon  came 
once  more  upon  the  tricolour  floating  over  the  French 
post  at  Muang  Sing.  I  felt  like  saluting  it.  I  was 
greatly  surprised  to  find  an  Englishman,  Mr.  Eva,  in 
charge.  He  fairly  shouted  to  hear  his  mother  tongue 
once  more.  He  had  scarcely  heard  a  word  of  it  for 
three  j^ears.  Seeing  that  I  was  spent  with  my  long, 
hot  ride,  and  that  my  carriers  would  not  get  in  till 
nightfall,  he  kindly  offered  to  hunt  me  up  some 
luncheon.  This  I  declined,  if  only  I  might  have  a 
cup  of  tea  and  a  piece  of  dry  bread.  Holding  up  both 
hands,  he  exclaimed,  "  You've  got  me  there !  I've  al- 
most forgotten  how  wheat  bread  tastes."  He  insisted 
on  my  taking  up  my  quarters  in  his  bungalow,  till  I 
said,  "  If  you  were  on  French  business,  you  would 
wish  to  stop  where  you  could  best  acconiplish  it,  would 
you  not?     I   am  here  on  missionary  work,  and   my 


THE  REGIONS  BEYOND  399 

business  is  with  the  people.  The  monastery  grounds 
will  suit  me  better."  "  Looking  at  it  in  that  light," 
said  he,  "  you're  right.  I'll  say  no  more."  I  knew 
that  in  the  home  of  a  French  official  I  should  have  no 
visitors  at  all. 

He  was  the  son  of  an  English  Wesleyan  minister; 
but,  being  a  wild  lad,  he  had  wandered  away  and 
drifted  into  the  French  army,  where  he  rose  to  an  of- 
ficial position.  But  the  influences  of  his  early  days 
had  not  been  lost.  We  had  many  heart-to-heart  talks 
together.  He  wanted  an  English  Bible.  Having  only 
my  "  Oxford  "  along,  I  could  not  spare  him  that,  but 
brought  him  one  on  my  next  tour.  On  Sunday  he  at- 
tended the  service  led  by  the  elders,  pleased  at  the 
evidence  they  gave  of  the  reality  of  our  missionary 
work.     He  had  six  thousand  Kamus  in  his  district. 

The  opium  habit  is  very  common.  We  found  but 
few  monasteries  in  the  Sipsawng  Panna  whose  abbots 
and  monks  did  not  use  opium.  One  man,  when  asked 
whether  he  used  it,  made  a  significant  answer :  "  When 
I  have  money,  I  do.     When  I  have  none,  I  don't." 

The  Chao  Fa  of  Miiang  Sing  was  busy  preparing  for 
the  marriage  of  his  daughter  with  a  son  of  the  great 
Chao  Fa  of  Chieng  Rung.  So  I  did  not  see  much  of 
him.  I  had  a  long  talk,  however,  with  the  prospective 
groom.  He  doubted  the  possibility  of  pardon  for  sin. 
I  had  several  interviews  with  Dr.  McKean's  patient 
for  calculus,  before  mentioned.  He  was  not  so  near 
Christianity  as  I  hoped  to  find  him,  but  was  profuse 
in  praise  of  the  doctor  and  the  hospital.  He  had  two 
wives  before  the  operation,  and  now  was  utilizing  his 
new  lease  of  life  by  taking  another  younger  one.  I 
saw  here  some  peaches  not  quite  ripe — which  was  very 
tantalizing.     But  I  did  get  some  ripe  plums. 


400    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

When  I  left  Muang  Sing  on  April  28th,  Mr. 
Eva  escorted  me  six  miles  on  my  way,  and  we 
bade  each  other  good-bye  four  or  five  times  before  we 
could  finally  part.  At  Wieng  Piika  I  had  another 
warm  welcome  from  the  French  Commissaire.  I  had 
to  decline  his  invitation,  also,  to  good  quarters 
with  him ;  but  dined  with  him  at  night,  and 
next  morning  he  sent  me  a  nice  shoulder  of  beef.  A 
large  number  of  Kamus  were  here  engaged  on  some 
public  works.  Unlike  most  of  their  tribe,  these  are 
Buddhists,  and  there  were  a  number  who  could  read, 
and  who  were  delighted  to  get  books.  It  was  remark- 
able that  their  women  spoke  Lao  fairly  well.  Their 
chief  officer  had  eighteen  hundred  men  under  him. 
After  talking  with  them  till  near  midnight,  I  turned 
them  over  to  the  elders,  and  was  soon  asleep.  Next 
morning  my  cook  came  to  my  tent  to  enquire  whether 
I  were  not  ill.  It  was  half-past  six,  and  breakfast  was 
ready ! 

We  passed  many  Kamu  villages  in  this  portion  of 
our  route.  Most  of  them  would  welcome  a  missionary, 
and  seemed  ripe  for  the  Gospel.  Formerly,  under  the 
government  of  Nan,  they  had  an  easy  time,  with  no 
taxes  and  almost  voluntary  service.  Now  they  natu- 
rally complained  of  the  stricter  regime  of  the  French. 
I  consoled  them  with  the  fact  that  the  world  over 
people  have  to  pay  taxes  to  the  government  that  pro- 
tects them.  For  this  I  did  not  at  all  need  the  warn- 
ing which  Mr.  Eva  gave  me,  that  the  one  thing  which 
the  French  would  not  tolerate  was  interference  with 
their  government  work.  At  Chieng  Kawng  I  took 
leave  of  French  territory,  with  nothing  but  feelings  of 
gratitude  for  the  uniform  personal  kindness  of  their 
ofQcials,   and    their   apparently   kind   interest    in   our 


THE  REGIONS  BEYOND  401 

work.  That  work  I  must  now  dismiss  with  the  very 
brief  outline  I  have  given.  I  believe  that  light  was 
conveyed  to  many  seekers  after  truth,  and  seed  was 
sown  which  will  not  be  lost. 

From  Chieng  Kawng  onwards  I  was  on  old  touring 
ground,  and  among  friends.  I  spent  a  Sunday  there, 
made  a  short  visit  to  the  Muso  hills,  and  found  a  warm 
welcome  in  Chieng  Rai  from  the  two  missionary  fam- 
ilies who  were  now  established  in  that  station,  as  well 
as  from  my  many  native  friends.  Here  I  received  my 
long-desired  mail.  Its  good  cheer  was  tempered  by 
one  sad  piece  of  news — the  death  of  my  sister  Mary 
and  my  brother  Evander,  the  last  of  my  own  mother's 
children.  On  May  16th  I  entered  upon  my  own  three- 
score and  tenth  year.  Leaving  Chieng  Rai  on  the  18th, 
I  reached  home  on  the  26th,  after  an  absence  of  four 
and  a  half  months. 

Meanwhile  the  work  in  our  own  and  in  all  the 
other  stations  had  been  energetically  prosecuted  by  a 
faithful  band  of  younger  workers,  better  prepared  than 
the  old  ones  to  carry  it  on  to  completion.  And  the 
other  long  tour  to  the  English  territory,  planned  for 
the  later  portion  of  the  year,  was  successfully  carried 
out  by  Dr.  Briggs,  Rev.  Mr.  Dodd,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Irwin. 


XXXIV 
THE  CLOSED  DOOR 

THE  tour  of  1898  was  undertaken  with  two  spe- 
cial objects  in  view:  (1)  to  follow  up  the 
auspicious  beginnings  of  work  among  the  Kamu 
and  Lamet  tribes,  the  largest  and  most  important 
within  the  mountain  area  explored  during  the  previ- 
ous season,  and,  apparently,  ready  as  a  body  to  accept 
the  Gospel;  and  (2)  to  secure  the  sanction  of  the 
French  government  for  continued  work  in  French  ter- 
ritory. I  was  unable  to  secure  a  missionary  colleague 
for  the  tour,  and  therefore  went  accompanied  only  by 
native  evangelists.  I  took  the  most  direct  route,  cross- 
ing the  Me  Kong  at  Pak  Beng,  following  the  Beng 
River  to  its  source,  and  crossing  by  the  pass  at  its 
head  to  Muang  Sai,  the  point  at  which  the  most 
promising  work  of  the  previous  tour  was  begun.  The 
journey  so  far  occupied  nearly  a  month's  time. 

The  tour  was  organized  on  notice  too  short  to  per- 
mit my  passport  from  the  United  States  Minister  in 
Bangkok  to  reach  me  in  Chiengmai  before  I  started. 
It  was,  therefore,  sent  on  direct  to  the  French  author- 
ities at  Liiang  Prabang.  Meantime  M.  Vackle,  the 
Commandant  Superieur,  who  was  so  kind  to  us  the 
year  before,  had  been  superseded  by  M.  Luce ;  and  him, 
unfortunately,  we  just  missed  at  the  crossing  of  the 
Me  Kong.  He  passed  up  in  a  steamer  the  day  before 
we  reached  the  river.  By  the  time  we  reached  M^ang 
403 


THE  CLOSED  DOOR  403 

Sai,  M.  Luce  had  returned  to  Luang  Prabang,  and  had 
wired  to  the  oflSce  in  Mftang  Sai  that  my  passport 
was  come,  and  that  I  was  expected  in  Liiang  Prabang. 
No  instructions  were  given  regarding  my  work,  and 
the  authorities  were  in  doubt  what  to  do.  Under  the 
circumstances,  the  only  passport  they  could  issue  was 
one  to  the  capital,  Luang  Prabang. 

They  were  not  particular,  however,  as  to  the  route 
I  should  take.  So  I  chose  a  circuit  to  the  northeast, 
leading  through  the  mountain  region  to  the  JJ  River, 
down  which  I  could  descend  by  boat  to  Liiang  Pra- 
bang. This  would  enable  me  to  find  Nan  Tit,  the  Kamu 
scholar  whom  I  met  at  Muang  Sai  on  my  previous 
tour,  and  to  visit  with  him  a  few  Kamu  villages.  The 
extent  of  the  work  I  hoped  to  undertake  that  season 
would  depend  upon  the  opening  I  found  there.  A  pass- 
port was  given  me  by  that  route,  and  a  soldier  was  sent 
along  as  guide  and  escort. 

Nan  Tit,  as  I  hoped,  had  read  the  books  I  gave  him, 
had  prepared  the  way  for  me  by  teaching  the  sub- 
stance of  them  to  his  neighbours,  and  now  would  as- 
sist me  in  teaching  his  tribe.  With  him  as  interpreter 
and  assistant  we  visited  a  number  of  contiguous  vil- 
lages, holding  night  conferences,  at  which  the  whole 
population  of  the  village  would  be  present.  Every- 
where a  wonderfully  ready  response  was  given  to  the 
Gospel.  They,  too,  were  oppressed  by  the  dread  of 
spirits,  and  welcomed  deliverance  from  their  bondage. 
They  would  accept  the  Gospel,  but,  naturally,  referred 
us  on  to  the  Pia. 

To  his  village  at  last  we  went.  He  was  a  venerable 
man  near  seventy,  and  though  for  years  hopelessly 
crippled  by  paralysis  of  the  lower  limbs,  his  bright 
mind  and  business  talents  had  raised  him  to  his  pres- 


404    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

ent  position,  and  given  him  a  commanding  influence.  I 
shall  never  forget  our  first  interview.  He  had  heard 
the  rumour  that  our  religion  could  overcome  the  spirits 
and  save  from  sin.  Crawling  painfully  on  his  hands  to 
meet  us,  he  welcomed  us  to  his  village  and  his  people. 
He  had  heard  of  the  Jesus-religion,  and  wished  to 
embrace  it.  Since  he  was  old,  he  must  do  it  soon. 
This  was  on  Friday  afternoon.  By  Saturday  night 
every  family  in  the  place  had  made  the  same  decision, 
and  would  begin  by  keeping  their  first  Sabbath  next 
day.  Our  elders  entered  with  heart  and  soul  into 
teaching  them.  The  young  folks  soon  learned  a  verse 
or  two  of  "  The  Happy  Land,"  and  some  a  verse  or  two 
in  the  Catechism.  Next  morning,  before  I  was  dressed, 
old  and  young  of  both  sexes  were  gathering  to  learn 
how  to  keep  the  Sabbath.  It  was  a  great  day,  just  the 
like  of  which  I  had  never  seen.  It  settled  the  deci- 
sion of  hundreds,  possibly  of  thousands,  of  people. 

Still,  everything  depended  upon  the  French  author- 
ities. They  could  forbid  our  teaching,  as,  in  fact,  they 
afterwards  did.  But  up  to  this  point  I  could  not  be- 
lieve that  they  would.  A  prompt  and  candid  inter- 
view seemed  all  that  would  be  necessary  to  settle  that 
matter,  and  make  the  Kamus  feel  safe.  If  such  an 
opening  were  found,  I  had  determined  to  remain  with 
them  throughout  the  season.  But  in  that  case  my 
family  and  the  mission  must  be  informed.  More  medi- 
cine and  books  and  some  comforts  would  be  required  to 
carry  me  through.  It  was,  therefore,  decided  to  move 
on  a  day's  journey  to  Mftang  La,  a  convenient  point, 
leave  there  two  elders  to  instruct  the  people,  and  send 
back  three  carriers  to  Chiengmai  for  the  needed  sup- 
plies and  another  elder;  while  I  went  on  overland  to 
Mftang  Kwa,  and  there  took  boat  down  the  U  River. 


THE  CLOSED  DOOR  405 

THe  mountain  scenerj^  along  this  river  is  very  beauti- 
ful, especially  so  near  its  junction  with  the  Me  Kong. 
We  reached  Luang  Prabang  on  Monday,  May  9th,  and 
called  at  once  on  M,  Grant,  who  was  so  kind  to  us  the 
year  before.  He  gave  me  a  greeting  as  warm  as  ever. 
The  king  was  having  an  interview  with  M.  Luce  that 
day,  so  I  could  not  see  him  till  Tuesday.  I  dined  that 
nijTht  with  M.  Grant,  he  himself  coming  at  dusk  to 
walk  over  with  me.  We  had  a  delightful  evening. 
There  had  been  a  regular  exodus  of  Kamus  that  year  to 
Chiengmai  and  other  southern  provinces.  M.  Grant 
asked  if  I  had  heard  any  reason  assigned  for  it.  I  told 
him  that  I  had  heard  of  three — the  dearness  of  rice, 
owing  to  the  failure  of  the  last  crop;  the  exhaustion 
of  the  mountain  lands,  and  the  lack  of  remunerative 
employment  by  w^hich  they  could  earn  the  money  re- 
quired to  pay  their  taxes. 

On  Tuesday  afternoon  the  Commandant  Sup^rieur 
sent  his  secretary  to  invite  me  to  an  interview.  He, 
too,  gave  me  a  cordial  greeting.  He  had  received  my 
passport  together  with  a  letter  of  introduction  from 
the  Consul  General  in  Bangkok.  I  had  also  a  kind 
personal  letter  from  our  United  States  Minister,  Mr. 
John  Barrett.  He  had  used  his  personal  influence,  and 
assured  me  that  it  would  all  be  right.  My  interview 
was  very  pleasant.  M.  Luce  enquired  about  our  mis- 
sion work,  the  number  of  our  converts,  and  other  sim- 
ilar matters.  He  then  referred  to  the  large  emigra- 
tion of  Kamus ;  asked  if  I  had  heard  of  any  reason  for 
it,  and  how  many  of  our  three  thousand  converts  were 
Kamus.  He  was  much  surprised  to  learn  that  the 
converts  were  almost  entirely  Lao,  with  not  a  half 
dozen  Kamus  among  them.  Putting  his  anxiety  about 
the  emigration  and  our  work  among  these  people  to- 


406    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

gether,  it  seemed  to  me  later  that  he  must  have 
thought  the  movement  a  religious  one. 

When,  at  last,  I  stated  my  special  errand  to  the 
city,  namely,  that  a  number  of  villages  in  his  province 
were  interested  in  our  religion,  that  I  wished  to  teach 
them  further,  and  that,  since  they  were  French  sub- 
jects, I  thought  it  proper  to  inform  him  and  secure  his 
sanction,  he  thanked  me  for  doing  so,  but  his  man- 
ner at  once  changed.  He  said  he  should  have  to  con- 
sult the  king  about  that;  the  mountain  people  were 
hard  to  teach ;  the  country  was  unhealthy ;  the  Catholic 
missionaries  in  the  south  were  leaving,  or  had  left ;  the 
king  would  fear  that  the  Kamus  would  become  disloyal 
to  him  if  they  became  Christians.  To  this  I  replied 
that  the  native  officials  had  uniformly  granted  us  per- 
mission to  teach  among  their  subjects;  that  they 
realized  that  it  was  a  benefit  to  their  country,  and 
even  gave  us  their  assistance ;  and  that  it  was  the  fixed 
policy  of  our  mission  to  teach  Christians  loyalty  to 
their  rulers.  M.  Luce  said  he  would  consult  with  the 
king,  and  would  let  me  know  the  decision.  I  expressed 
my  wish  to  pay  my  respects  to  the  king,  which  he  said 
was  a  very  proper  thing,  and,  on  my  leaving,  he  gave  me 
a  cordial  invitation  to  dine  with  him  that  night. 

Next  day,  through  M.  Grant,  I  secured  a  very  pleas- 
ant interview  with  the  king.  My  long  residence  in  the 
country  and  acquaintance  with  both  Siamese  and  Lao 
officials,  gave  us  much  common  ground  for  conversa- 
tion. He  was  pleased  that  I  had  known  their 
Majesties,  the  present  King  of  Siam  and  his  father,  his 
former  liege-lords.  Quite  in  line  with  native  ideas, 
he  thought  I  must  be  a  man  of  great  merit  to  be  so 
old  and  yet  so  strong.  I  explained  at  his  request  the 
teaching  of  our  religion,  pointing  out  some  of  its  dis- 


THE  CLOSED  DOOR  407 

tinctive  differences  from  Buddhism,  in  all  of  which 
things  he  was  interested.  He  said  that  it  was  all  very 
good,  but  he  was  born  and  reared  in  the  Buddhist  wor- 
ship, and  was  too  old  to  change.  Gradually  introduc- 
ing my  errand,  I  told  him  of  my  interest  in  the  Kamus, 
and  of  their  desire  to  become  Christians;  that  I  had 
come  down  to  get  permission  to  work  among  them. 
We  taught  them  a  better  morality,  of  which  loyalty  to 
rulers' was  a  fundamental  article,  enjoined  by  Jesus  on 
His  disciples.  He  raised  the  objection  that  the  Kamus 
were  ignorant,  and  we  would  find  them  harder  to  teach 
than  the  Lao.  To  this  I  replied  that  these  villagers 
had  become  believers,  and  I  was  going  to  spend  several 
months  in  teaching  them.  He  asked  if  I  did  not  think 
I  was  running  great  risk  in  living  so  long  in  the  forest, 
and  so  far  away  from  home.  "  Well,"  said  I,  ''  I  am 
used  to  life  in  the  forest  and  jungle,  and  you  can  see 
for  yourself  how  I  have  fared."  At  which  he  smiled, 
and  made  no  further  objection,  I  left  with  the  firm 
conviction  that  if  M.  Luce  were  not  unwilling,  there 
would  be  no  diflQculty  with  him. 

While  at  dinner  that  night,  I  informed  M.  Luce  of 
my  pleasant  audience  with  the  king;  how  I  told  him  my 
plans,  and  he  had  virtually  given  his  consent.  "  Is 
that  so?  "  said  he.  "  I  must  see  the  king  myself  about 
that."  And  as  I  took  my  leave,  he  said  again,  "  I  will 
see  the  king  to-morrow,  and  will  let  you  know  the 
result." 

The  next  afternoon,  Thursday,  M.  Luce  had  a  long 
interview  at  the  Prince's  residence.  On  Friday  after- 
noon I  called  on  M.  Grant  on  my  way  to  the  Com- 
mandant's office.  He  told  me  that  M.  Luce  wished  to 
see  me,  but  had  instructed  him  to  notify  me  that  the 
king  did  not  understand  that  I  was  to  spend  several 


408    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

months  among  the  Kamus — though  he  certainly  did, 
or  why  should  he  have  raised  the  question  of  my 
health?  I  reminded  M.  Grant  that  my  passport  was 
not  to  the  king,  but  to  the  French  authorities.  All 
the  world  recognized  the  country  as  French  territory. 
It  would  have  been  considered  a  discourtesy  to  the 
French  if  the  representative  of  the  United  States  had 
sent  a  letter  to  the  Lao  king  as  such.  He  admitted 
that  in  a  limited  sense  this  was  true ;  but  they  did  not 
treat  the  king  as  a  conquered  vassal.  Cochin  China 
had  fought  the  French,  and  had  been  conquered  and 
annexed.  But  Liiang  Prabang  had  put  itself  under 
their  protection  without  firing  a  gun.  M.  Grant  de- 
livered his  message  with  as  much  consideration  toward 
my  disappointment  as  was  consistent  with  loyalty  to 
his  superior.  But  my  disappointment  I  could  not 
conceal. 

M.  Luce,  I  was  informed,  was  very  busy  that  day, 
but  would  be  glad  to  see  me  on  Saturday  afternoon. 
The  decision,  however,  was  irreversible.  Further 
pressure  would  be  useless,  and  might  be  unwise.  In 
that  case,  I  said,  of  course  I  must  submit.  I  had 
shown  proper  respect  for  the  ruling  authority,  and  my 
own  desire  to  avoid  future  misunderstanding,  by  mak- 
ing the  long  and  costly  journey  to  Liiang  Prabang. 
My  errand  was  now  ended.  I  would  take  my  leave 
at  once,  and  return  next  morning. 

This  being  reported  to  M.  Luce,  he  sent  word  that 
he  must  see  me  before  I  left.  I  might  come  immedi- 
ately. Personally,  again,  he  was  very  kind,  but  made 
a  studied  effort  to  put  the  responsibility  upon  the 
king,  who,  as  he  said,  had  not  understood  that  I 
wished  to  make  a  long  stay  among  the  Kamus,  which 
he  thought  was  unsafe  for  me.    Of  course,  I  had  no 


THE  CLOSED  DOOR  409 

complaint  to  make  of  the  king,  who  had  been  most 
gracious.  I  submitted  to  their  decision,  and  would 
return  home.  But  my  arrangements  required  my  re- 
turn to  the  Kamu  villages,  where  I  had  left  my  men 
and  my  goods,  and  would  be  detained  there  till  my 
messengers  should  return  from  Chiengmai — which,  he 
said,  was  all  right.  Since  the  responsibility  had  been 
put  on  the  king,  and  the  adverse  decision  had  been 
based  solely  on  the  danger  to  my  personal  health  and 
safety,  I  thought  it  unwise  to  raise  the  question  of 
native  assistants,  and  so  felt  free  to  leave  these  on 
the  ground  to  teach  the  new  believers,  as,  indeed,  I 
felt  under  obligation  to  do. 

Thanking  M.  Luce  for  all  his  personal  kindness,  I 
begged  to  take  my  leave  of  him  then,  so  that  I  might 
start  on  my  return  the  next  morning.  But  he  evi- 
dently was  not  satisfied  with  his  own  part  in  the  mat- 
ter, and  wished  to  make  some  personal  amends  to 
soothe  my  disappointment.  He  hoped  I  would  not 
leave  in  the  morning,  but  would  remain  till  Monday, 
and  give  him  the  pleasure  of  a  dinner  with  me  and  M. 
Grant  on  Sunday  night.  I  hoped  he  would  still  ex- 
cuse me,  since,  if  I  remained,  that  would  be  our  time 
for  public  worship.  "  Then,"  said  he,  "  we  shall  be 
pleased  to  have  you  on  Saturday  night;  and  if  you 
are  not  ready  now  to  give  an  aflSrmative  reply,  I  hope 
you  will  so  arrange  it  as  to  notify  my  secretary  in  the 
morning."  Notwithstanding  his  evident  disingenu- 
ousness  in  trying  to  shift  the  responsibility  for  his 
own  acts  to  another,  there  was  no  reason  for  making 
it  a  personal  matter ;  and  it  would  be  impolitic  to  leave 
apparently  angry.  So  I  decided  to  remain  till  Mon- 
day, and  accepted  the  invitation  for  Saturday  night. 

I  feared  there  would  be  great  constraint  on  both 


410    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

sides  at  the  dinner;  but  in  this  I  was  agreeably  dis- 
appointed. That  very  day  a  long  telegram  had  ar- 
rived, reporting  the  declaration  of  war  with  Spain, 
and  the  particulars  of  the  great  naval  victory  of 
Manila  Bay.  On  my  arrival  at  his  house,  M.  Luce 
handed  me  a  full  translation  of  these  into  English, 
which  he  had  had  made  for  me.  They  were  much  sur- 
prised at  the  victory,  for  they  thought  the  Spanish 
navy  much  larger  and  stronger  than  ours;  and  they 
were  high  in  their  praise  of  the  victors.  We  really 
had  a  delightful  time.  After  dinner  our  host  and  M. 
Grant  both  laid  themselves  out  to  show  me  beautiful 
maps  and  pictures.  M.  Luce  invited  me  to  call  on 
Monday  morning,  and  he  would  send  a  long  telegram 
to  my  wife  without  charge.  This  he  did,  and  we  all 
parted  friends.  The  departure  on  the  16th,  my  sev- 
entieth birthday,  was  not  as  joyful  as  I  had  hoped. 

On  my  return  to  Muang  Sai,  I  found  that  my  car- 
riers had  been  delayed  by  sore  feet  and  sickness.  I 
could  not  leave  till  they  came,  for  fear  of  missing 
them  and  causing  further  complications.  So  my  long 
trip  home  was  thrown  into  the  middle  of  a  very  rainy 
season.  I  had  to  apologize  as  best  I  could  to  the  new 
converts  for  the  change  in  my  plan  to  remain  with 
them.  But  they  were  glad  to  have  our  elders  stay  and 
teach  them.  If  that  shady  tree  on  the  little  hill  at 
Muang  Sai  could  speak,  it  would  tell  of  much  anxious 
prayer  on  leaving  the  Christians  and  starting  on  the 
long  journey  before  me.  My  Ebenezer  was  left  on  that 
tree. 

That  journey  was  altogether  the  worst  I  ever  had. 
I  did  not  reach  home  till  August  6th,  after  the  longest 
tour  I  had  ever  taken.  M.  Luce's  telegram  had  pre- 
pared my  family  and  friends  for  my  changed  plans. 


THE  CLOSED  DOOR  411 

A  few  lines  must  close  the  history  of  the  work 
among  the  Kamus.  In  December  the  three  evangelists 
returned  with  a  most  encouraging  report.  The  con- 
verts had  remained  firm,  and  others  were  waiting  to 
join  them.  The  next  season  a  native  minister  was 
sent  to  them.  In  1903  the  mission  ventured  to  send 
two  of  our  younger  men,  Dr.  Campell  and  Mr.  Mackay. 
to  Muang  Sai,  to  visit  the  Christians,  and  respond  to  a 
pressing  call  to  extend  the  work.  Imagine  their  sur- 
prise on  reaching  Muang  Sai  to  find  that  the  local 
commissioner  had  received  orders  to  forbid  our  mis- 
sionaries to  visit  the  Christian  community,  or  to  hold 
any  religious  service  with  them,  on  penalty  of  being 
conducted  out  of  the  country,  by  force  if  necessary. 
The  command  was  so  imperative  that  the  Commis- 
sioner dared  not  disobey.  He  begged  them  for  his  sake 
to  return  peaceably.  No  effort  has  been  made  since 
to  reach  the  Christians  at  Muang  Sai,  or  to  extend 
the  work. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  a  few  members  of  the 
Chieng  Sen  church — never  more  than  half  a  dozen 
families — lived  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Me  Kong,  in 
French  territory.  So  objectionable  was  the  very  pres- 
ence of  a  missionary  making  a  few  days'  visit  among 
his  flock,  that  it  was  regarded  of  sufficient  importance 
to  warrant  an  official  protest  from  the  authorities  at 
Luang  Prabang,  sent  through  the  Governor  General 
of  Hanoi,  and  the  United  States  Minister  at  Bangkok. 

Complaint  was  made  of  a  visit  made  by  the  Kev. , 

who  had  exhibited  Scripture  pictures  and  distributed 
books  among  the  people — which  was  so  contrary  to 
their  policy  that  they  forbade  the  Roman  Catholic 
missionaries  from  working  in  their  territory.  They 
begged  that  the  thing  be  not  repeated !     For  the  credit 


412    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

of  the  French  authorities  I  should  have  been  glad  to 
suppress  the  latter  part  of  this  story.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  I  think  it  should  be  known,  in  order  that 
it  may  become  a  burden  on  the  prayers  of  the  Chris- 
tian world  of  all  denominations,  that  God's  providence 
may  open  the  whole  peninsula  of  Indo-China  to  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel. 


.i^^ 


XXXV 

CONCLUSION 

MY  advancing  age  suggests  the  wisdom  of  not 
attempting  to  continue  this  personal  nar- 
rative beyond  the  account  just  given  of  my 
last  long  missionary  tour.  I  may  venture  to  add, 
however,  by  way  of  conclusion,  a  few  suggestions  and 
criticisms  concerning  the  work  of  our  mission  as  a 
whole,  and  briefly  notice  a  few  of  the  more  important 
personalities  and  events  of  these  later  years. 

Special  prominence  has  been  given  throughout  to 
the  evangelistic  work,  as  being  the  foundation  of  all 
other  missionary  work.  A  Christian  Church  and  a 
Christian  constituency  must  be  the  first  aim  in  all  mis- 
sions. In  this  we  have  not  been  unsuccessful.  Our 
ideals,  it  is  true,  have  not  been  realized.  We  have 
not  witnessed  among  the  Siamese  or  the  Lao  any  racial 
movement  towards  Christianity;  nor  have  there  been 
any  great  revivals  resulting  in  large  accessions  to  the 
church.  Both  of  these  we  hope  for  in  the  not  far 
distant  future.  Yet  the  uniform,  healthful  growth  of 
the  church,  as  distinguished  from  spasmodic  or  spo- 
radic increase,  has  been  most  gratifying.  Seldom  does 
a  week  pass  without  accessions  to  some  of  our 
churches. 

An  adult  membership  of  four  thousand  is  a  good 
foundation.     And  it  must  never  be  forgotten  that  the 
roll  of  church-membership  is  a  very  inadequate  index 
413 


414    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

of  the  real  influence  and  power  of  a  mission.  In  addi- 
tion to  a  much  larger  constituency  of  adherents,  there 
is  our  large  roll  of  non-communing  members,  the  hope 
of  the  future  church.  And  signs  of  most  hopeful 
promise  have  appeared  within  the  present  year.  The 
growth  of  the  Chieng  Rai  church  during  that  time  has 
been  surpassed  only  by  the  results  of  Dr.  Campbell's 
recent  tours,  amounting  to  eighty  accessions  within  a 
few  weeks.  The  supporters  of  our  missions  have  every 
cause  for  gratitude,  and  a  call  for  earnest,  effectual 
prayer  in  their  behalf. 

A  review  of  our  evangelistic  work  suggests  one  or 
two  criticisms.  On  one  line  at  least,  with  a  smaller 
amount  of  hard  work  done  by  the  missionary  himself, 
we  might  have  accomplished  more,  might  now  be  better 
prepared  for  advanced  work,  and  the  native  church 
might  be  better  able  to  stand  alone,  if  we  had  ad- 
dressed our  efforts  more  steadily  to  the  development 
and  use  of  native  assistance.  While  we  have  not  had 
the  material  of  well  educated  young  men  out  of  which 
to  form  a  theological  seminary  and  to  furnish  a  fully 
equipped  native  ministry,  we  have  not  used,  to  the 
extent  to  which  we  should  have  used  it,  the  material 
which  was  available.  For  a  mission  as  old  as  ours,  we 
must  confess  that  in  this  most  important  matter  we 
are  very  backward. 

The  delay  in  starting  our  school  for  boys  was  not 
our  fault;  it  was  inevitable.  The  Lao  rulers  of  the 
earlier  years  were  absolutely  indifferent  to  all  educa- 
tion, and  were  positively  jealous  of  any  that  was  given 
by  the  mission.  But  as  the  church  began  to  increase, 
we  had  accessions  of  men  trained  in  the  Buddhist 
priesthood.  Some  of  these  were  among  the  best  edu- 
cated   men    in    the    country.    They    understood — as 


CONCLUSION  415 

young  men  even  from  mission  schools  could  not  be 
expected  to  understand — the  religion,  the  modes  of 
thought,  the  needs  of  their  own  people,  and  how  to 
reach  them.  Their  education,  however  deficient, 
brought  them  many  compensations.  They  form  the 
class  from  which  nearly  all  of  our  evangelists  have 
been  drawn.  When  such  men  have  been  drilled  in 
the  Scriptures,  their  Buddhistic  knowledge  makes  them 
the  very  best  men  for  successful  work  among  their 
countrymen.  They  visit  and  sleep  in  the  homes  of 
their  people,  and  are  one  with  them.  The  missionary 
in  his  work  must  rely  largely  on  their  judgment  and 
advice. 

It  must  not  be  understood  that  we  have  not  taught 
these  men  or  used  them.  A  great  deal  of  labour  has 
been  spent  in  training  them;  very  much  in  the  same 
way  in  which  in  American  churches,  a  generation  ago, 
busy  pastors  trained  up  young  men  to  be  some  of  our 
best  ministers.  The  criticism  I  make — and  in  it  I 
believe  all  my  colleagues  will  concur — is  that  we  have 
not  made  as  much  of  them  as  we  should  have  done. 
No  doubt  there  have  been  difficulties  in  the  way.  Their 
families  must  somehow  be  provided  for  during  the 
process.  The  native  churches  were  not  strong  enough 
to  undertake  their  support.  We  were  warned  that  to 
aid  them  with  foreign  funds  would  make  the  churches 
mercenary.  What  the  missionary  himself  sometimes 
did  to  eke  out  their  subsistence  was  irregular  and 
difficult,  and  often  unsatisfactory.  But  the  labourer 
is  worthy  of  his  hire.  Hungry  mouths  must  be  fed. 
The  Board  and  the  churches  at  home  do  not  begrudge 
a  thousand  dollars  or  more  to  support  a  missionary  in 
the  field.  Should  they  begrudge  the  same  amount 
spent   upon   half   a   dozen   men    who    will   treble   or 


416    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

quadruple  the  missionary's  work  and  his  influence? 
In  any  business  it  is  poor  policy  to  employ  a  high- 
salaried  foreman,  and  then  not  furnish  him  cheaper 
men  to  do  that  which  unskilled  labour  can  accomplish 
better  than  he. 

In  this  matter,  as  in  some  others,  we  might  have 
learned  valuable  lessons  from  our  nearest  missionary 
neighbours  in  Burma,  even  though  the  conditions  of 
our  work  have  been  in  many  resj^ects  very  different 
from  theirs.  Making  all  allowance  for  our  condi- 
tions, I  frankly  confess  that  our  greatest  mistake  has 
probably  been  in  doing  too  much  of  the  work  our- 
selves, instead  of  training  others  to  do  it,  and  work- 
ing through  them.  This  conviction,  however,  must  not 
in  the  least  lead  us  to  relax  our  efforts  in  the  line 
of  general  education.  For  the  ultimate  establishment 
of  the  church,  and  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  age, 
we  must  have  workmen  thoroughly  equipped.  Till 
that  time  comes,  we  must,  as  we  should  more  fully 
have  done  hitherto,  rely  on  whatever  good  working 
material  we  find  ready  to  hand. 

With  regard  to  plans  and  methods  of  work,  an- 
other thought  suggests  itself.  In  a  business  organized 
as  ours  is,  where  the  majority  in  the  Annual  Meet- 
ing has  absolute  power,  it  is  difficult  to  avoid  the  ap- 
pearance— and  sometimes  the  reality — of  a  vacillating 
policy.  New  stations  are  established,  and  mission- 
aries are  located  by  the  ballot  of  the  mission  there 
assembled.  From  year  to  year  the  personnel  of  the 
mission  is  constantly  changing  by  reason  of  furloughs, 
breakdown  of  health,  and  necessary  removals.  We 
make  our  disposition  of  forces  at  one  meeting,  and  at 
the  next  an  entirely  new  disposition  has  become  neces- 


CONCLUSION  417 

sary.  A  family  has  been  left  alone  without  a  physi- 
cian or  associate.  Missionary  enthusiasm,  or  an 
earnest  minority  interested  in  a  particular  field  or  a 
particular  cause,  may  initiate  a  policy  which  a  sub- 
sequent majority  may  be  unable  to  sanction,  or  which 
it  may  be  found  difficult  or  impossible  to  carry  out. 

Again,  as  between  the  policy  of  maintaining  one 
strong  central  station,  and  that  of  maintaining  sev- 
eral smaller  ones  in  difl'erent  parts  of  the  country,  it 
is  often  difficult  to  decide.  With  the  aim  originally 
of  establishing  the  Gospel  in  all  the  states  under 
Siamese  rule,  we  seem  to  have  been  led  to  adopt  the 
latter  policy.  Through  God's  blessing  on  evangelistic 
tours,  in  Lampiin  and  in  the  frontier  provinces  of 
the  north,  there  grew  up  churches  which  called  for 
missionary  oversight.  The  famine  in  Pre  summoned 
us  thither;  and  to  secure  the  work  then  done,  a  mis- 
sionary in  residence  was  needed.  Though  no  church 
had  been  formed  in  Nan,  yet  our  tours  had  opened 
the  way  to  one,  and  the  importance  of  the  province 
and  its  distance  from  our  centre  demanded  a  station. 
In  every  case  these  stations  were  opened  with  the  cor- 
dial approval  of  the  mission  and  of  the  Board  at 
home.  Yet  it  has  been  difficult  to  keep  them  all 
manned,  as  has  been  specially  true  in  the  case  of  Pr^ 
— and  there  to  the  great  detriment  of  the  work.  It 
is  easy  to  say  now  that  a  strong  central  policy  might 
have  been  better.  And  that  criticism  would  prob- 
ably hit  me  harder  than  anyone  else,  for  I  have  sanc- 
tioned the  establishment  of  every  one  of  those  sta- 
tions. It  is  possible  that  a  more  centralized  organi- 
zation might  have  accomplished  more  toward  the  edu- 
cation of  native  workers — the  point  last  under  dis- 
cussion. 


418    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

With  reference  to  the  establishment  of  stations  in 
the  north  beyond  the  frontier  of  Siam,  there  was  not 
until  recently  absolute  unanimity  in  the  mission.  But 
that  was  not  from  any  diversity  of  opinion  as  re- 
gards the  question  in  itself,  but  because  a  sister  de- 
nomination had  established  itself  there.  There  has 
never  been  reasonable  ground  for  doubt  that  the  lan- 
guage and  race  of  the  ruling  class,  and  of  the  pop- 
ulation of  the  plains  would  naturally  assign  them  to 
the  Lao  mission.  And  no  other  mission  is  so  well 
equipped  for  working  that  field.  A  Lao  Inland  Mis- 
sion, somewhat  on  the  plan  of  the  China  Inland  Mis- 
sion, would  be  an  ideal  scheme  for  reaching  the  whole 
of  the  Tai-speaking  peoples  of  the  north  and  northeast 
under  English  and  French  and  Chinese  rule.  The 
obligation  to  carry  the  Gospel  to  those  peoples  should 
rest  heavily  on  the  conscience  of  the  Christian  Church, 
and  on  our  Church  in  particular.  Who  will  volun- 
teer to  be  the  leaders? 

It  has  already  been  noticed  that  in  our  educational 
work  the  Girls'  School  had  the  precedence  in  time,  and 
possibly  in  importance.  Boys  did  at  least  learn  to 
read  and  write  in  the  monasteries.  At  the  time  of 
our  arrival  in  Chiengmai,  only  two  women  in  the 
province  could  read.  The  Chiengmai  Girls'  School 
has  had  a  wide  educational  influence  throughout  the 
north,  and  to-day  our  Girls'  Schools  have  practically 
no  competitors. 

The  Phraner  Memorial  School  for  small  children, 
in  connection  with  the  First  Church,  Chiengmai,  un- 
der Mrs.  Campbell's  direction,  is  preparing  material 
both  for  High  Schools  and  for  the  College.  We  have 
good  schools  for  girls  in  Lakawn,  Nan,  and  Chieng 
Rai;   and   parochial   mixed   schools   in   most   of   our 


CONCLUSION  419 

country  churches  and  out-stations.  The  young  women 
who  have  been  engaged  in  this  department,  and  many 
self-sacrificing  married  women,  have  great  reason  to 
rejoice  over  the  work  accomplished.  No  greater  work 
can  be  done  than  that  of  educating  the  wives  and 
mothers  of  the  church  and  the  land.  Educated  Chris- 
tian men  are  greatly  handicapped  when  consorted 
with  illiterate  and  superstitious  wives.  Without  a 
Christian  wife  and  mother  there  can  be  no  Christian 
family,  the  foundation  both  of  the  church  and  of 
the  Christian  State. 

On  a  recent  visit  to  Chiengmai,  Princess  Dara  Rat- 
sami — one  of  the  wives  of  His  late  Majesty  of  Siam, 
and  daughter  of  Prince  Intanon  of  Chiengmai  and  his 
wife,  the  Princess  Tipakesawn,  often  mentioned  in  the 
preceding  narrative — was  much  interested  in  the  Girls' 
School,  and  was  pleased  to  name  it  the  Phra  Raj- 
chayar  School,  after  herself — using  therefor  her  title, 
and  not  her  personal  name. 

The  mission  had  been  founded  twenty  years  before 
it  had,  and  almost  before  it  could  have  had,  a  School 
for  Boys.  It  is  the  intention  of  the  mission  to  make 
of  this  school — the  Prince  Royal  College — the  future 
Christian  College.  Similar  schools  have  been  estab- 
lished in  the  other  stations. 

Since  the  Siamese  government  assumed  control  in 
the  North,  it  has  manifested  a  laudable  zeal  in  estab- 
lishing schools,  in  which,  however,  the  Siamese  lan- 
guage alone  is  taught.  His  Majesty  is  most  fortunate 
in  having  such  an  able  and  progressive  representative 
in  the  North  as  the  present  High  Commissioner,  Chow 
Praya  Surasih  Visithasakdi.  And  the  country  is  no 
less  fortunate  in  having  a  ruler  whose  high  personal 
character  and  wise  administration  command  the  con- 


420    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

fidence  and  respect  of  all  classes.  He  is  interested 
in  educating  the  people,  and  in  everything  that  ad- 
vances the  interests  of  the  country. 

I  regard  the  educational  question  as  the  great  ques- 
tion now  before  the  mission.  The  existence  of  the 
Siamese  schools  greatly  emphasizes  the  importance 
of  our  own  work,  and  the  necessity  of  maintaining  a 
high  standard  and  a  strong  teaching  force  in  Siamese, 
English,  mathematics,  and  the  sciences.  Their  schools 
then  will  be  tributary  to  ours. 

The  ultimate  prevalence  of  the  Siamese  language 
in  all  the  provinces  under  Siamese  rule,  has  been  in- 
evitable from  the  start.  All  governments  realize  the 
importance  of  a  uniform  language  in  unifying  a  peo- 
ple, and  have  no  interest  whatever  in  perpetuating  a 
provincial  dialect.  The  Siamese,  in  fact,  look  down 
with  a  kind  of  disdain  upon  the  Lao  speech,  and  use 
it  only  as  a  temporary  necessity  during  the  period  of 
transition.  And  the  Siamese  is  really  the  richer  of 
the  two  by  reason  of  its  large  borrowing  from  the 
Pali,  the  better  scholarship  behind  it,  and  its  closer 
connection  with  the  outside  world. 

These  two  forms  of  the  Tai  speech — with  a  common 
idiom,  and  with  the  great  body  of  words  in  both 
identical,  or  differing  only  in  vocal  inflection — have 
been  kept  apart  chiefly  by  the  fact  that  they  have  dif- 
ferent written  characters.  All  of  the  Lao  women  and 
children,  and  two-thirds  of  the  men  had  to  be  taught 
to  read,  whichever  character  were  adopted;  and  they 
could  have  learned  the  one  form  quite  as  easily  as  the 
other.  Had  the  mission  adopted  the  Siamese  char- 
acter from  the  start,  it  would  now  be  master  of  the 
educational  situation,  working  on  a  uniform  scheme 
with    the    Siamese    Educational    Department.     More- 


CONCLUSION  421 

over,  the  Siamese  language  in  our  schools  would  have 
been  a  distinct  attraction  toward  education  and 
toward  Christianity.  And  thus  there  would  have 
been  available  for  the  North  the  labours  of  two  or 
more  generations  of  able  workers  in  the  southern 
mission,  from  which  so  far  the  Lao  church  has  been 
mostly  cut  off.  The  whole  Bible  would  have  been  ac- 
cessible from  the  first;  whereas  now  nearly  half  of  it 
remains  still  untranslated  into  the  Lao.  If  the  future 
needs  of  the  Siamese  provinces  alone  were  to  be  con- 
sidered, it  might  even  be  doubted  whether  it  were 
worth  while  to  complete  the  translation.  When  the 
monks,  in  their  studies  and  teaching,  adopt  the 
Siamese,  as  it  is  now  the  intention  of  the  government 
to  have  them  do,  Lao  books  will  soon  be  without  read- 
ers throughout  Siam.  When  for  the  young  a  choice 
is  possible  in  the  matter  of  such  a  transcendent  instru- 
ment of  thought  and  culture  as  language,  all  surely 
would  wish  their  training  to  be  in  that  one  which  has 
in  it  the  promise  of  the  future.  These  words  are 
written  in  no  idle  criticism  of  the  past,  and  in  no 
captious  spirit  regarding  the  present;  but  with  full 
sense  of  the  gravity  of  the  decision  which  confronts 
the  mission  in  shaping  its  educational  policy  for  those 
who  henceforth  are  to  be  Siamese. 

Meanwhile,  Lao  type  and  books  in  the  Lao  dialect 
are  needed,  not  merely  for  the  present  generation  of 
older  people  who  cannot  or  will  not  learn  a  new  char- 
acter, but  also  for  the  instruction  and  Christianization 
of  that  much  larger  mass  of  Lao  folk  beyond  the 
frontier  of  Siam  as  revealed  by  recent  explorations. 
Removed,  as  these  are,  entirely  from  the  political  and 
cultural  influence  of  Siam,  and  divided  up  under  the 
jurisdiction   of   three   great   nations   of   diverse   and 


422    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

alien  speech,  it  is  inconceivable  that  the  Siamese 
should  ever  win  the  ascendency  over  them.  Nor  has 
either  of  these  nations  any  immediate  and  pressing 
incentive  toward  unifying  the  speech  of  its  provincials, 
such  as  has  actuated  Siam  in  this  matter.  If  the 
field  of  the  Lao  mission  is  to  be  extended  to  include 
these  "  regions  beyond  " — as  we  all  hope  that  it  soon 
may  be — Lao  speech  will  inevitably  be  the  medium  of 
all  its  work  there.  Then  all  that  so  far  has  been  ac- 
complished in  the  way  of  translation,  writing,  and 
printing  in  the  Lao  tongue,  will  be  so  much  invaluable 
capital  to  be  turned  over  to  the  newer  enterprise. 

As  regards  the  medical  department  of  the  mission, 
the  Lao  field  has  been  an  ideal  one  for  its  operation 
and  for  demonstration  of  its  results.  When  the  field 
was  virtually  closed  to  the  simple  Gospel,  the  mis- 
sionary physician  found  everywhere  an  exalted,  not 
to  say  exaggerated,  idea  of  the  efficacy  of  foreign  medi- 
cine, and  a  warm  welcome  for  himself.  Dr.  Cheek, 
who  virtually  founded  our  regular  medical  work  among 
the  Lao,  had  been  on  the  field  but  a  short  time  when 
he  reported  thirteen  thousand  patients  treated  in  one 
year.  Probably  no  subsequent  physician  has  had  such 
absolute  control  of  the  situation  as  he  had,  so  long  as 
he  gave  his  time  and  talents  to  his  calling.  But  even 
the  layman  finds  his  medical  chest  an  invaluable  ad- 
junct to  his  evangelistic  work,  as  we  have  had  fre- 
quent occasion  to  notice.  We  are  devoutly  thankful 
for — we  might  almost  envy — the  influence  that  our 
medical  missionaries  have  exerted  in  the  civilization 
and  the  Christianization  of  the  Lao  tribes. 

Somewhat  of  the  present  status  and  importance  of 
the  medical  mission  may  be  judged  from  the  follow- 
ing facts :  Dr.  J.  W.  McKean's  projected  Leper  Asylum 


CONCLUSION  423 

is  the  largest  charitable  institution  ever  planned  in 
the  kingdom.  The  new  Overbrook  Hospital  in  Chieng 
Kai,  the  generous  gift  of  the  Gest  family  of  Overbrook, 
Pennsylvania,  is  the  finest  building  in  the  mission. 
The  Charles  T.  Van  Santvoord  Hospital  in  Lakawn 
is  another  similar  gift.  Native  physicians,  trained  as 
far  as  present  opportunities  permit  in  Western  surgery 
and  medicine,  are  now  maintained  at  certain  posts  by 
the  Siamese  government.  And  especially  the  work  of 
Dr.  Arthur  Kerr,  the  government  physician  in  Chieng- 
mai,  and  his  unremitting  kindness  to  the  mission,  are 
deeply  appreciated  by  us  all. 

I  cannot  close  these  remarks  without  making  spe- 
cial reference  to  the  work  of  my  old  friend  and 
classmate  and  early  associate  in  the  mission.  Dr. 
Jonathan  Wilson.  In  addition  to  his  other  most 
valuable  labours,  he  spent  years  of  loving  and  devoted 
service  in  the  preparation  of  hymns  for  Lao  worship, 
which  will  mould  and  lead  the  spiritual  life  of  this 
people  for  years  to  come.  The  Lao  are  lovers  of 
music.  Many  of  them  have  received  much  of  their  re- 
ligious instruction  through  the  use  of  these  hymns. 
His  influence  in  the  Lao  church  may  be  compared  to 
that  of  Watts  and  Wesley  for  the  English  race. 

Our  long  isolation  as  a  mission  has  enabled  us  to 
appreciate  the  coming  to  us  in  late  years  of  a  number 
of  distinguished  visitors,  who  have  greatly  encour- 
aged and  strengthened  us. 

At  the  Annual  Meeting  in  December,  1900,  we  were 
favoured  with  a  visit  from  our  United  States  Minister, 
Hon.  Hamilton  King,  and  his  two  daughters.  Re- 
ferring to  his  visit,  the  "  Lao  Quarterly  Letter  "  said : 
^'  His  addresses  to  the  missionaries  and  native  min- 


424    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

isters  and  elders  of  the  Presbytery  were  much  appre- 
ciated, and  our  large  church  building  was  crowded  on 
two  successive  Sabbaths  to  hear  his  eloquent  words 
of  encouragement  to  native  Christians,  and  his  warm 
commendation  of  Christianity  to  non-Christians.  It 
has  been  said  that  one  of  the  best  things  which  a 
United  States  Minister  can  take  to  a  non-Christian 
land  is  a  good  Christian  home.  And  this  is  just  what 
Mr.  King  has  brought  to  Siam." 

At  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  following  year,  in 
Lakawn,  we  received  the  first  oflScial  visit  we  ever  had 
from  one  of  the  Secretaries  of  our  Board,  in  the  person 
of  Rev.  Arthur  J.  Brown,  D.D.,  accompanied  by  his 
good  wife.  The  importance  of  these  secretarial  visits 
to  distant  missions  can  hardly  be  overestimated.  It  is 
impossible  to  legislate  intelligently  for  a  constituency 
twelve  thousand  miles  away.  No  amount  of  writing 
can  give  the  varied  kinds  of  information  necessary 
for  a  full  understanding  of  the  people,  the  mission- 
aries, their  surroundings,  and  the  needs  of  the  field, 
which  a  single  visit  will  convey.  Then,  too,  there  are 
questions  of  administration  and  mission  polity,  re- 
quiring settlement  in  the  home  Board,  which  can 
with  difficulty  be  understood  through  correspondence. 
Dr.  Brown's  official  visit  was  most  helpful,  as  also 
his  words  of  encouragement,  his  sermons  and  ad- 
dresses. The  pleasure  derived  from  the  personal  visits 
of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  to  various  members  of  the 
Mission  will  always  linger  in  our  memories. 

Another  notable  visit  to  Chiengmai  was  that  of 
the  Crown  Prince  of  Siam,  now  His  Majesty  Maha 
Vajiravudh,  in  the  winter  of  1905-6.  On  this  visit  His 
Royal  Highness  very  graciously  accepted  the  invita- 
tion of  the  mission  to  lay  the  corner  stone  of  the  Will- 


HIS    IMAJESTV,    MAHA    VAJIRAVUDH, 
KING    OF    SIAM 


CONCLUSION  425 

iam  Allen  Butler  Hall,  the  recitation  hall  of  the  new- 
Boys'  School.  On  that  occasion  he  delivered  an  ad- 
dress, of  which  the  following  is  a  translation: 

*'  Ladies  and  Gentlemen : — I  have  listened  with  great 
pleasure  to  the  complimentary  remarks  which  have  just  been 
made.  I  regard  them  as  indisputable  evidence  of  your 
friendship  for  the  whole  Kingdom  of  Siam. 

*'  During  my  visit  to  the  United  States,  the  American 
people  were  pleased  to  give  me  a  most  enthusiastic  welcome. 
I  may  mention  particularly  the  sumptuous  banquet  with 
which  your  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  honoured  me.  I 
perceived  clearly  that  the  American  people  received  me 
whole-heartedly  and  not  perfunctorily.  This  also  made 
it  evident  to  me  that  the  American  people  have  a  sincere 
friendship  for  the  Kingdom  of  Siam.  Of  this  fact  I  was 
profoundly  convinced,  and  I  certainly  shall  not  soon  forget 
my  visit  to  the  United  States. 

"  This  being  so,  I  feel  compelled  to  reciprocate  this  kind- 
ness to  the  full  extent  of  my  ability.  As  my  Royal  Grand- 
father and  my  Eoyal  Father  have  befriended  the  mission- 
aries, so  I  trust  that  I  too  shall  have  opportunity,  on 
proper  occasions,  to  assist  them  to  the  limits  of  my  power. 

"  Your  invitation  to  me  to-day  to  lay  the  corner  stone 
of  your  new  School  Building,  is  another  evidence  of  your 
friendship  and  goodwill  toward  Siam.  I  have  full  confi- 
dence that  you  will  make  every  endeavour  to  teach  the 
students  to  use  their  knowledge  for  the  welfare  of  their 
country.  Therefore  I  take  great  pleasure  in  complying  with 
your  request,  and  I  invoke  a  rich  blessing  on  this  new  in- 
stitution. May  it  prosper  and  fulfil  the  highest  expecta- 
tions of  its  founders !  " 

In  response  to  a  request  from  the  Principal  that  he 
would  name  the  new  school,  His  Royal  Highness  sent 
the  following  reply : 

"  Chiengmai,  January   2d,  1906. 
"  I   have  great  pleasure   in  naming  the  new   school,   the 
foundation   stone   of   which   I   have   just   laid.   The   Prince 
Royal's  College.     May  this  School  which  I  have  so  named, 


426    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

be  prosperous,  and  realize  all  that  its  well-wishers  hope  for 
it.  May  it  long  flourish,  and  remain  a  worthy  monument  of 
the  enterprise  of  the  American  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Chiengmai.    This  is  the  wish  of  their  sincere  friend, 

"  Vajiravudh." 

Little  did  we  then  think  that  His  Royal  Highness 
would  so  soon  be  called  to  fill  the  high  office  left 
vacant  by  the  lamented  death  of  his  distinguished 
father,  King  Chulalangkorn,  which  occurred  October 
22d,  1910. 

In  December,  1908,  Mrs.  McGilvary's  brother,  Pro- 
fessor Cornelius  B.  Bradley  of  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia, while  on  a  visit  to  the  land  of  his  birth  and 
of  his  father's  labours,  paid  us  a  visit  in  the  North. 
He  was  present  at  our  Annual  Meeting  in  Lakawn, 
and  on  Sunday  preached  the  Communion  sermon,  and 
again  in  Chiengmai.  It  was  to  the  astonishment  of  all 
who  heard  him,  both  natives  and  foreigners,  that  he 
could  converse  fluently  and  flawlessly,  and  could  so 
preach,  after  an  absence  of  thirty-six  years.  It  was 
upon  this  visit  to  Siam,  that  he  made  a  special  study 
and  translation  of  the  Sukhothai  Stone — the  earliest 
known  monument  of  the  Siamese  language. 

In  company  with  Professor  Bradley  came  Mr.  Wil- 
liam McClusky,  a  business  man,  on  a  visit  to  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  M.  B.  Palmer.  The  significance  of  this 
visit  lies  in  the  fact  that  Mr.  McClusky  has  remained 
among  us,  and  has  identified  himself  with  the  work  of 
the  mission,  endearing  himself  to  all. 

In  1905  Mrs.  McGilvary  returned  to  the  United 
States  for  a  much-needed  change.  I  remained  on  the 
field  until  1906,  when  I  was  cabled  for  on  account 
of  the  very  serious  state  of  her  health.  I  found  her 
very  low,  and  my  visit  was  devoted  to  the  restoration 


CONCLUSION  427 

of  her  health.  In  the  autumn  she  was  suflSciently  re- 
covered to  make  our  return  possible,  and  the  voyage 
was  undertaken  in  compliance  with  her  own  ardent 
wish.  She  was  greatly  benefited  by  the  sea-voyage,  and 
since  her  return  her  health  has  been  fully  restored. 

On  May  IGth,  1908,  my  daughter,  Mrs.  William  Har- 
ris, gave  a  dinner  in  honour  of  my  eightieth  birthday, 
at  which  all  our  missionary  and  European  friends  in 
Chiengmai  were  guests.  Dr.  McKean  expressed  the 
congratulations  of  my  friends  in  an  address,  from 
which  I  quote  the  following :  "  Eighty  years  of  age, 
sir,  but  not  eighty  years  old !  We  do  not  associate 
the  term  old  age  with  you,  for  you  seem  to  have  drunk 
of  the  fount  of  perpetual  youth."  But  the  sentiment 
to  which  I  most  heartily  subscribe  is  the  following: 
"  There  is  a  common  maxim  among  men  to  which 
we  all  readily  assent;  namely,  that  no  man  is  able  to 
do  his  best  work  in  the  world  without  having  re- 
ceived from  God  that  best  of  all  temporal  gifts,  a  help- 
meet for  him.  We  most  heartily  congratulate  you 
that,  early  in  your  life  in  Siam,  Mrs.  McGilvary  was 
made  a  partner  in  this  great  life  work.  And  no  one 
knows  so  well  as  yourself  how  large  a  part  she  has 
had  in  making  possible  much  of  the  strenuous  work 
that  you  have  done.  To  her,  likewise,  we  offer  on  this 
happy  occasion  our  hearty  congratulations  and  our 
fervent  wishes  for  an  ever-brightening  future ! " 

On  December  6th,  1910,  Mrs.  McGilvary  and  I  cele- 
brated our  Golden  Wedding.  As  this  occurred  during 
the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Mission,  most  of  our  mis- 
sionary friends,  as  well  as  our  friends  of  the  foreign 
colony,  were  present.  It  was  a  matter  of  great  re- 
gret, however,  that  Dr.  Wilson,  who  was  present  at 
the  wedding  fifty  years  before,  was  too  feeble  to  come 


428    AMONG  THE  SIAMESE  AND  THE  LAO 

to  Chiengmai  on  this  occasion.  The  many  beautiful 
gifts  received  were  another  token  of  the  loving  regard 
of  our  friends  and  dear  ones  in  this  and  in  the  home- 
land. Among  the  many  letters  and  telegrams  re- 
ceived was  a  cablegram  from  our  children  in  Amer- 
ica. "  It  was  like  a  hand-clasp  and  a  whisper  of 
love  flashed  around  the  world."  Dr.  Arthur  J.  Brown, 
speaking  for  himself  and  the  members  of  the  Board  of 
Foreign  Missions,  wrote:  "We  greatly  rejoice  in  your 
long  and  conspicuously  devoted  and  influential  service 
for  the  Lao  people.  We  share  the  veneration  and  love 
with  which  we  know  you  are  regarded  by  the  people 
among  whom  your  lives  have  been  spent,  and  by  the 
missionaries  with  whom  you  have  been  so  closely  as- 
sociated. It  would  be  a  joy  if  we  could  join  the  rela- 
tives and  friends  who  will  be  with  you  on  that  happy 
day  in  December.  We  invoke  God's  richest  bless- 
ings on  you  both.  Mrs.  Brown  and  all  my  colleagues 
in  the  office  unite  with  the  members  of  the  Board  in 
loving  congratulations." 

One  of  the  most  valued  of  these  messages  came  from 
H.  R.  H.  Prince  Damrong,  Minister  of  the  Interior: 
"  I  just  learn  from  the  local  papers  of  the  celebration 
of  your  Golden  Wedding.  I  wish  you  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Gilvary  to  accept  my  sincere  congratulations  and  best 
wishes  that  you  both  may  be  spared  to  continue  your 
great  work  for  many  more  years.     Damrong." 

Our  good  friend,  H.  E.  Praya  Surasih  Visithsakdi, 
High  Commissioner  for  the  Northwestern  Provinces, 
brought  his  congratulations  in  person,  presenting  Mrs. 
McGilvary  with  a  very  rare  old  Siamese  bowl  of  inlaid 
work  of  silver  and  gold. 

From  the  native  church  in  Chieng  Rai  a  message  in 
Lao  was  received,  of  which  the  following  is  a  transla- 


u    K 


CONCLUSION  429 

tion :  "  The  Chieng  Rai  Christians  invoke  Divine  bless- 
ings on  the  Father-Teacher  and  Mother-Teacher  Mc- 
Gilvary,  who  are  by  us  more  beloved  than  gold." 

We  were  deeply  touched  by  a  most  unexpected 
demonstration  of  the  Chiengmai  Christians,  who  as- 
sembled at  our  home,  and  with  many  expressions  of 
loving  esteem  and  gratitude  presented  us  with  a  sil- 
ver tray,  designed  by  themselves,  on  which  were  repre- 
sented in  relief  the  progress  of  the  city  in  these  fifty 
years:  on  one  end  the  old  bridge,  on  the  other  the 
new  bridge  just  completed;  on  the  two  sides,  the  rest- 
house  we  occupied  upon  our  arrival  in  Chiengmai,  and 
our  present  home.  The  inscription,  in  Lao,  reads: 
"1867-1910.  The  Christian  people  of  Chiengmai  to 
Father-Teacher  and  Mother-Teacher  McGilvary,  in 
memory  of  your  having  brought  the  Good  News  of 
Christ,  forty-three  years  ago." — It  makes  one  feel  very 
humble  to  quote  such  expressions  from  our  colleagues 
and  friends.  But  it  would  not  be  in  human  nature 
to  fail  to  appreciate  them. 

I  would  not  close  this  life-story  without  express- 
ing, on  behalf  of  my  wife  and  myself,  our  heartfelt 
gratitude  to  our  friends,  native  and  foreign,  for  the 
great  kindness  shown  us  in  our  intercourse  with  them 
during  these  long  years;  and,  above  all,  our  devout 
gratitude  to  the  Giver  of  all  good,  for  sparing  so  long 
our  lives,  and  crowning  them  with  such  rich  bless- 
ings. Of  these  the  greatest  has  been  in  permitting  us 
to  lay  the  foundations,  and  to  witness  the  steady 
growth  of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  Northern  Siam. 


INDEX 


Arthington,  Robert,  373-376, 
386. 

Bradley,  Rev.  Dan  Beach,  M.D., 
45,  52,  54-57,  67-70,  131-132, 
164,    199. 

Buddhist  shrines,  172-173,  188, 
252-253. 

Ceremonies  and  Festivals:  Dam 
Hua,  84-86;  cremation,  145- 
147;  dedication  of  a  shrine, 
188-189;  rice-harvest,  274; 
fairs,  327,  356,  366;  "kin 
waw,"  323,  343;  sacred  days, 
318-319;  wedding  feast,  395; 
New  Year,   396-397. 

Chulalongkorn,  King  of  Siam, 
211-213,  382,  426. 

Commission,  Royal,  112,  121- 
131. 

Commissioners,  High :  Praya 
Tep  Worachun,  193-194,  205, 
206,  208,  210,  213-215, 
222,  300;  Commissioner  not 
named,  300-304;  Chow  Praya 
Surasih,   419. 

Cushing,  Rev.  J.  N.,  D.D.,  138- 
139,  244,  247,  250,  373. 

Demonism  and  witchcraft,  75- 
76,  91,  93-94,  173,  194,  203- 
208,  214,  266-270,  278,  321, 
324,  331,   340. 

Diseases:  cholera,  51;  fever, 
88,  190,  195,  205,  242; 
goitre,  88;  smallpox  (vacci- 
nation), 57,  89-91,  243,  250; 
scurvy,  190;  mortality  of  re- 
peopled  districts,  202,  282. 

Education:  Girls'  School,  177- 
178,  221-223,  274,  284,  287, 
292,  418-419;  Boys'  School, 
284,  291,  300,  419,  424-426; 
Phraner  Memorial,  377,  418; 


parochial,  418;  government, 
419-420;  educational  policy 
as  regards  language,  222-225, 
420-422. 

Elephants:  saddle,  62,  151-152, 
157,  246,  249-250,  311-312, 
317-318,  330-331,  355,  359- 
360,  382-383;  wild,  156,  253, 
311;  baby-elephants,  246-247, 
309. 

Evangelists  and  ministers,  na- 
tive, 257-263,  377-380,  414- 
416. 

Famine,    335,    346,   349-352. 

French  Indo-China,  332,  354, 
358,  384,  and  chapters  xxxiii, 
xxxiv. 

Hallet,  Holt  S.  (railroad  sur- 
vey), 244-254. 

House,  Rev.  S.  R.,  M.D.,  37- 
38,  45,  53,  67,  92-93,  110-112. 

Intanon,  Prince  of  Chiengmai, 
81,  90,  108-109,  132,  137,  142, 
145,  187,  193-194,  209,  245, 
262,  293,  300. 

Kamu  tribe,  368,  393-394,  400, 
403,  405,  407,  411. 

Karens,  89,  143-144. 

Kawilorot,  Prince  of  Chieng- 
mai (1855-1870),  57,  67,  69- 
70,  85-86,  90,  95,  102-106, 
121-129,  133-138,  146-147. 

Lao:  the  name,  13-14,  57-58; 
spelling  of  Lao  words,  12-13; 
people,  58,  156;  states,  130, 
191-192,  218-219,  262;  lan- 
guage, 357,  358,  420-422,  see 
also  Education;  women,  144- 
145. 

Lao  Mission:  planted,  77;  Rev. 
J.  Wilson  arrives,  92;  first 
church  organized,  93;   a  gift 


431 


432 


INDEX 


of  land,  95 ;  first  native  mem- 
bers received,  96-101 ;  perse- 
cution, 106-117;  mission  sup- 
posedly abandoned,  126;  in- 
tervention, 130-132;  new 
regime,  137-144;  permanent 
buildings,  140-142;  first 
physician,  149;  Girls'  School, 
177;  teachers  arrive,  221- 
222 ;  reinforcement,  242 ; 
Presbytery  organized,  257 ; 
printing  press,  320;  Chris- 
tian Endeavor,  381;  sum- 
maries, 217-218,  225,  287- 
288,  299,  304,  401;  general  re- 
view, 413-423. 

Later  Missionaries:  Brigga, 
Rev.  W.  A.,  M.D.,  10,  319, 
336-337,  351-352,  401;  Camp- 
bell, Rev.  Howard,  376,  411, 
414;  Mrs.  Campbell,  418; 
Campbell,  Miss  Mary,  177, 
221-222,  234,  236-237,  240; 
Cary,  A.  M.,  M.D.,  283-284, 
296,  298;  Cheek,  M.  A.,  M.D., 
166,  169,  178,  190,  195,  212, 
233,  236-237,  283,  292;  Mrs. 
Cheek,  169,  242,  293;  Cole, 
Miss  Edna  E.,  177,  221-222, 
233,  240,  284,  387;  Collins, 
Rev.  D.  G.,  283,  284,  296, 
301;  Curtis,  Rev.  L.  W.,  376; 
Mrs.  Curtis,  9;  Denman,  C. 
H.,  M.D.,  376,  381,  382-385; 
Dodd,  Rev.  W.  C,  D.D.,  283, 
284-286,  289,  291,  296,  301, 
358,  377-378,  382,  384,  401; 
Mrs.  Dodd  (Miss  B.  Eakin), 
292,  293,  303;  Fleeson,  Miss, 
292,  293,  299;  Freeman,  Rev. 
J.  H.,  9,  296;  Griffin,  Miss 
I.  A.,  240,  243,  284,  292,  299; 
Hearst,  Rev.  J.  H.,  239,  243; 
Irwin,  Rev.  Robert,  319,  353, 
362,  367,  401;  Martin,  Rev. 
Chalmers,  239,  250,  252,  268, 
270,  271-273,  276,  283; 
McGilvarv,  Cornelia  H.  (Mrs. 
William 'Harris),  199.  306, 
308-316,      427;       McGilvary, 


Rev.  Evander  B.,  337,  371; 
McGilvary,  Margaret  A. 
(Mrs.  Roderick  Gillies),  197, 
337;  McKean,  J.  W.,  M.D., 
306,  316,  320,  338.  341,  422- 
423,  427 ;  Peoples.  Rev.  S.  C, 
M.D.,  239,  250,  257,  263-265, 
289-291,  300,  319,  387;  Mrs. 
Peoples,  240;  Phraner,  Rev. 
Stanley  K.,  319,  320,  326-329, 
376-377,  418;  Mrs.  Phraner 
(Lizzie  Westervelt),  238,  274, 
284;  Taylor,  Rev.  Hugh,  299, 
308-309;  Vrooman,  C.  W., 
M.D.,  149-159,  166. 
Native  Converts:  Ai  Tu 
(Praya  Pakdi),  277,  280, 
287;  Cha  Pu  Kaw  and  Cha 
Waw,  see  under  Muso;  Chao 
Borirak,  158,  163,  197;  Lung 
In,  168,  170,  202;  Nan  Chai, 
100-101,  114-117;  Nan  Chai- 
wana,  266-270;  Nan  Inta, 
96-99,  149,  161,  163,  207,  208, 
210,  233,  243,  257,  258;  Nan 
Ta,  225-228,  234,  243,  248, 
258,  272,  276,  277,  283,  299, 
301 ;  Nan  Si  Wichai,  199,  243; 
Nan  Suwan,  197-198,  233, 
248,  257,  280,  287,  327,  330, 
333,  341,  359;  Noi  Intachak, 
230,  257,  200;  Noi  Siri,  301- 
304,  333;  Noi  Sunya,  99-100, 
114-117;  Noi  Taliya,  278-279, 
290,  334;  Pa  Seng  Bun,  205- 
206;  Praya  Sihanat,  199-201, 
232-233;  S§n  Utama,  230, 
232 ;  Sen  Ya  Wichai,  79,  100, 
105,  203,  281,  291. 

Maha       Mongkut,       King       of 
Siam,  37,  47-48,  70. 

Maha     Vajiravudh,     King     of 
Siam,  425-426. 

Mattoon,  Rev.  S.,  D.D.,  39,  45, 

67,  165-166. 

McDonald,  Rev.  N.  A.,  D.D.,  53, 

68,  103-104,    121fr. 
McFarland,    Rev.    S.    G.,    D.D., 

53,  70-71. 


INDEX 


433 


McGilvary,  Rev.  Daniel,  D.D., 
birth  (1828),  20;  parentage, 
19-20;  childhood,  20-28;  con- 
version, 27-28;  Bingham 
School,  29-31;  teaching,  31- 
32 ;  Presbytery  of  Orange,  32- 
34 ;  Princeton  Seminary 
(1853-1856),  35-38;  pastor- 
ate, 38-41;  ordination,  42; 
voyage,  43-45 ;  Bangkok 
(1858-1861),  45-52;  marriage 
(1860),  52;  Pechaburi,  53ff; 
first  acquaintance  with  the 
Lao,  57-58;  tour  of  explora- 
tion to  Chiengmai,  59-65; 
charter  of  the  Lao  mission, 
66-70;  removal  to  Chiengmai 
(1867),  71-76;  pioneer  ex- 
periences, 77-83;  ceremony  of 
Dam  Hua,  84-86;  non-pro- 
fessional medicine  and  sur- 
gery, 88-91,  95,  120,  147-148, 
158,  190,  195-196,  322,  362;- 
visit  from  Dr.  House,  92; 
First  Church  organized,  93; 
first-fruits,  95-101;  the 
gathering  storm,  102-105;  it 
breaks  (Sep.  1869),  106; 
terrifying  suspense,  107,  118- 
119;  alarm  in  Bangkok,  111- 
113;  the  martyrs,  114-117; 
Siamese  Royal  Commission, 
121;  a  stormy  audience  and 
its  results,  122-129;  death  of 
Kawilorot,  133-135;  visit 
from  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Cushing, 
138-139;  the  new  rulers,  137- 
144;  building,  140-142;  arri- 
val of  a  missionary  physi- 
cian, 149;  First  Tour  (1872, 
with  Dr.  Vrooman) — explora- 
tion north  and  east,  150- 
159;  visit  to  Lakawn  and 
Nan,  161-158;  first  furlough 
(1873-1875),  159-168;  Sec- 
ond Tour  (1876) — explora- 
tion northwestward,  170-177; 
conversation  with  the  Prin- 
cess, 180-187;  shrine  on  Doi 
Sutep,    188-189;    firmer    Sia- 


mese policy — the  Resident 
High  Commissioner,  191-194; 
the  deaf  Praya,  199-201; 
struggle  with  demonism:  — 
Pa  Seng  Bun,  203-206;  Chris- 
tian marriage  defeated,  207- 
209;  appeal  unto  Caesar,  210- 
212;  Edict  of  Religious  Tol- 
eration (1878),  213-220; 
teachers  for  the  Girls' 
School,  221-222;  the  harvest 
of  twelve  years,  225 ;  the  nine 
years'  wanderer,  225-228 ; 
voyage  to  Hongkong,  228-230; 
Rahgng,  230-232 ;  churches 
organized,  233;  second  fur- 
lough (1881-1882)— rein- 
forcements and  losses,  236- 
243;  a  surveying  expedition 
(1884),  244-254;  equipment 
for  touring,  249-251 ;  semi- 
monthly mail  to  Maulmein, 
255-256;  death  of  Princess 
Tipa  Kesawn,  257 ;  Presbytery 
of  North  Laos  and  the  train- 
ing of  native  evangelists, 
257-262 ;  station  established 
at  Lakawn,  263-265 ;  struggle 
with  demonism  renewed — 
Ban  Pgn,  266-270;  work 
among  the  villages,  270-274; 
Third  Tour  (1886,  with  Mr. 
Martin) — Christian  commun- 
ities in  the  north,  276-283; 
reinforcements,  283-284 ; 

river  trip  with  Mr.  Dodd, 
285-286;  Fourth         Tour 

(1887),  286-287;  Fifth  Tour 
(1888,  with  Dr.  Peoples  and 
Mr.  Dodd)  : — church  organ- 
ized in  Chieng  Sen,  289-291; 
serious  illness,  291;  mar- 
riage of  his  daughter — the 
Prince  and  the  charades,  293 ; 
foothold  secured  in  Lampun, 
294-296;  trip  to  Bangkok, 
297;  week  at  Ban  Pen,  297- 
298;  a  marvellous  recovery, 
298 ;  the  "  prisoner  of  Jesus 
Christ,"    300-304;     tax-rebel- 


434 


INDEX 


lion,  305-306;  Dr.  McKean, 
and  a  continuous  medical 
mission  at  last,  306-307; 
Sixth  Tour  (1890,  with  Miss 
McGilvary)  : — Lakawn,  Pre, 
Nan,  308-310;  the  lost  ele- 
phant, 311;  Chieng  Kawng 
and  the  "  Teacher's  Road," 
313-314;  Chieng  Sen  and 
Chieng  Rai,  314-315;  ele- 
phant runaways,  317-318; 
Buddhist  sacred  days  to  be 
observed  by  Christians,  318- 
319;  Seventh  Tour  (1891, 
with  Mr.  Phraner),  320-336: 
— first  meeting  with  the 
Musos,  322-327;  MQang  Len, 
327-329;  Chieng  Sen,  329- 
330;  a  thrilling  experience, 
330-331;  Chieng  Kawng  and 
Mtiang  Tong,  332-333 ; 
Musos  baptized,  333-336; 
Eighth  Tour  (1892,  with  Dr. 
McKean) — among  the  Mtiso 
villages,  338-348 ;  tragic 
struggle  with  opium,  348; 
famine,  349-352;  Ninth  Tour 
(1893,  with  Mr.  Irwin) — the 
Sipsawng  Panna,  353-368; 
Mfiang  Yawng,  354-355;  an 
undiscovered  peril,  358;  Chi- 
eng Rung;  ferry  and  ford  of 
the  Mg  Kong,  359-360; 
dysentery  and  heroic  treat- 
ment, 362 ;  Mflang  Sing,  363- 
366;  Musos  east  of  the  Me 
Kong,  367-368;  third  fur- 
lough (1893-1894),  370-376; 
Mr.  Arthington  of  Leeds,  373- 
376;  Presbytery  and  a  native 
ministry,  377-380 ;  Tenth 
Tour  (1896,  Avith  Dr.  Den- 
man) — Chieng  Rai  chosen  for 
a  station,  382-384;  evangel- 
ists sent  forth,  384;  Musos, 
385;  Eleventh  Tour  (1897, 
with  Dr.  Peoples) — the 
"  regions  beyond  " :  Luang 
Prabang,  388ff.;  courtesy  of 
French  officials,  388-390,  395, 


398,  400;  Mflang  Sai,  390- 
394;  Mtiang  Ai,  394-395; 
wedding  feast,  395;  surprise 
party,  396-397;  Mtiang  Sing, 
398,  399;  Twelfth  Tour 
(1898)— the  closed  door,  402- 
412;  summoned  to  the  U.  S. 
by  illness  of  Mrs.  McGilvary 
(1905),  426-427;  Golden 
Wedding,  427-429;  apprecia- 
tion by  Dr.  Arthur  J.  Brown, 
D.D.,  1-7. 

Observations  and  criticisms: 
Continuity  in  mission  policy, 
416-417;  Converts  with  more 
than  one  wife,  231-232;  Ex- 
clusion of  the  Lao  mission 
from  the  Lao-speaking  peo- 
ples of  the  north,  157,  332, 
368-369,  404,  411-412;  Girls' 
Schools  as  Christianizing 
agencies,  178,  203,  280,  284, 
287,  418-419;  Heresy-trials, 
371-372;  Language  problem, 
222-225,  420-422;  Native 
evangelists  and  ministers, 
257-262,  377-380,  414-416; 
Parliament  of  religions,  370- 
371;  Obedient  to  constituted 
authority  and  law,  208,  301, 
393,  400,  406;  Outlying 
Christian  communities — their 
claim  on  the  missionary,  329- 
330;  Rulers — importance  of 
cultivating  their  acquaint- 
ance, 90,  144,  161,  170-171, 
330. 

Religious  teachings  and  con- 
versations, 97-98,  161-162, 
174-176,  180-188,  199-200, 
342-343,  365. 
McGilvary,  Mrs.  Sophia  Brad- 
ley, marriage,  52;  wins  first 
Lao  convert,  79,  100;  life  in 
a  bamboo  shack,  140;  fur- 
lough after  twenty-three 
years  in  Siara,  159-160;  river 
journey  without  escort,  164; 
opens  first  Lao  school,  177; 
sole  assistant  in  the  mission, 


INDEX 


435 


195-197;  translates  first  Gos- 
pel into  Lao,  288,  320;  visits 
to  the  U.  S.,  158,  229,  238, 
426-427 ;  Golden  Wedding, 
427-428. 

Medical  Mission,  summary, 
422-423. 

Merit-making,  64,  133,  134,  147, 
180,  257. 

Mission,  American  Baptist,  of 
Burma,  138,  143,  254,  368, 
383,  418. 

Mus5  tribe,  276,  322-327,   334- 

336,  338-348. 
Nevius,    Rev.    Dr.,    378-379. 
Opium,   136,  335,  346-348,  357, 

399. 
Presbytery:  of  Siam,  47,  59,  71; 

of  North  Laos,  257-260,  377- 

380. 
Princess:  Tipa  Kesawn,  55,  90, 

108-109,     145,     178,     180-187, 

209,   222,   257;    the  younger. 


55,  63-64,  105,  114,  115,  119, 

136. 
Printing  press,   and  Lao  type, 

224,  320,  338,  353,  384. 
Posts   and   telegraphs,   91,    121, 

255-256,  296,  320. 
Rapids:    Mg    Ping,    71-75;    Mg 

Kong,   154-155. 
Regent  of  Siam,  112,  132. 
Robbers     and     brigandage,     91, 

164,    233,    329,    358;    bandit 

chieftain,  84,  96,  146,  147. 
Toleration,    Edict    of,    chapter 

xix. 
Warfare   of    depopulation,    218, 

353-354,  355,  357,  363. 
White   ants,    179. 
Wild    game;     deer,    253,    339; 

cattle,    253,    313;    tigers,    72, 

152,  153,  311,  386-387. 
Wilson,    Rev.    Jonathan,    D.D., 

36,    38,    43,    51,    65,    67,    92, 

95,    113,    140,    148,    169,   221, 

233,  263,  291,  381,  423,  428. 


PRINTED   IN    THE    UNITED   STATES   OF    AMERICA 


BIOGRAPHY ; 

ROBERT  E.  SPEER,  D.  D. 

The  Foreign  Dodtor :  "The  Hakim  s*hib" 

A  Biography  of  Joseph  Plumb  Cochran,  M.D.,  of 
Persia.     Illustrated,  i2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.50. 

Dr.  Cochran  came  to  a  position  of  power  in  Western 
Persia  which  made  his  life  as  interesting  as  a  romance.  HC 
was  one  of  the  central  figures  in  the  Kurdish  invasion  (Jt 
Persia,  and  was  the  chief  means  of  saving  the  city  of  Urjp 
mia.  In  no  other  biography  is  there  as  full  an  account  of  the 
actual  medical  work  done  by  the  medical  missionary,  and  ot 
the  problem  of  the  use  of  the  political  influence  acquired  by 
a  man   of  Dr.   Cochran's  gifts  and  opportunities. 

HENRY  D.   PORTER,  M.D.,  P.P. 

William  Scott  Ament  ^...S^E/^'cwna. 

Illustrated,  8vo,  cloth,  net  $1.50. 

A  biography  of  one  of  the  most  honored  missionaries  of 
the  Congregational  Church,  whose  long  and  effective  service  in 
China  has  inscribed  his  name  high  in  the  annals  of  those 
whose  lives  have  been  given  to  the  uplift  of  their  fellowmen. 

MARY  GRIP  LEY  ELLIN  WO  OP 

Frank  Field  EUinwood  prestiu^an F!^AL%ard 

His  Life  and  Work.     Illustrated,  cloth,  net  $1.00. 

A  charming  biography  of  one  of  the  greatest  missionary 
leaders  of  the  Nineteenth  Century. — Robert  E.   Speer. 

ANTONIO  ANDREA  ARRIGHl 

The  Story  of  Antonio  the  Galley  Slave 

With  Portrait,  i2mo,  doth,  net  $1.25. 

"Reads  like  a  romance,  and  the  wonderful  thing  ab9Ut 
it  is  that  it  is  true.  A  fervid  religious  experience,  a  passion 
for  service  and  good  intellectual  equipment  were  his  splendid 
preparation  for  a  great  missionary  work  among  his  country- 
men in  America." — Zion's  Herald. 

GEORGE  MULLER 

r^a.r^t.fro.  lV/fiill<»r    The  Modern  Apostle  of  Faith 
LrCOrge  MUlier,       gy  Frederick  G.  Warne. 

New  Edition,  including  the  Later  Story  of  the  Bristol  Orphan 

Home.     Illustrated,  cloth,  net  75c. 

"What  deep  attractiveness  is  found  in  this  life  of  tht 
great  and   simple-hearted  apostle." — Christian  Advocate. 

KINGSTON  PE  GRUCHE 

Dr.  Apricot  of  "Heaven-Below" 

Illustrated,  8vo,  cloth,  net  $1.00. 

"No  one  who  has  read  this  book  will  ever  afterwards 
repeat  the  threadbare  objection,  "I  don't  believe  in  mis- 
iions." — Continent 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


ROBERT  E.  SPEER  The  Cole  Lectures  for  191 1. 

Some  Great  Leaders  in  the  World 

Movement     i2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.25. 

Mr.  Speer  in  his  characteristic  inspiring  way  has  pre. 
sented  the  key  note  of  the  lives  of  six  of  the  World's  great- 
est missionaries:  Raymond  Lull,  the  crusading  spirit  In  mis- 
sions;  William  Carey,  the  problems  of  the  pioneer;  Alexander 
Duff,  Missions  and  Education;  George  Bowen,  the  ascetic 
ideal  in  missions;  John  Lawrence,  politics  and  missions;  and 
Charles  G.   Gordon,  modern  missionary  knight-errancy. 

S.  M.  ZWEMER,  F.R.G.S.,  and  Others 

Islam  and  Missions 

i2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.50. 

This  volume  presents  the  papers  read  at  the  Second 
Conference  on  Missions  to  Moslems,  recently  held  in  Luck- 
now,  India.  The  contributors  are  all  experts  of  large  ex- 
perience in  such  mission  effort. 

VAtf  SOMMER,  ANNIE,  and  Others 

Daylight  in  the  Harem 

A  New  Era  for  Moslem  Women.    In  Press. 

Woman's  work  for  Woman  is  nowhere  more  needed  than 
on  the  part  of  Christian  women  for  their  sisters  of  Islam. 
It  is  a  most  difficult  field  of  service,  but  this  volume  by  au- 
thors long  and  practically  interested  in  this  important  Chris- 
tian   ministry,    aemonstrates    how    effectually    this    work    has 


thors  long  and  practically  interested  in  this  important 
tian  ministry,  aemonstrates  how  effectually  this  wor 
opened  and  is  being  carried  forward  with  promising  results. 

ROBERT  A.  HUME,  P.P. 

An  Interpretation  of  India's  Religious 

Hi  «fi-r\r-w     Introduction  by  President  King,  LL,D. 
rilStOry  ofOterlin  College 

i2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.25. 

The  author  of  this  careful,  though  popular,  study,  is 
eminently  qualified  to  deal  with  the  subject  of  his  thought- 
ful volume.  Equipped  for  this  purpose  through  long  resi- 
dence in  India  and  intimate  study  of  India's  religious  his- 
tory, what  he  says  will  be  accepted  as  the  estimate  and  in- 
terpretation of  an  authority. 

MARGARET  E.  BURTON 

The  Education  of  Women  in  China 

illustrated,  i2mo,  cloth,  net  $1.25. 
The  author  of  this  scholarly  study  of  the  Chinese  woman 
and  education  is  the  daughter  of  Prof.  Ernest  E.  Burton,  of 

the  University  of  Chicago The  work  is  probably  the 

most  thorough  study  of  an  important  phase  of  the  economic 
development  of  the  world's  most  populous  country  that  has 
appeared. 


FOREIGN  MISSIONS 


M.  D. 


A  Message  from  Batang 

The    Diary   of    Z.    S.    Loftis,    M.D.     Illustrated, 
i2mo,  cloth,  net  7Sc. 

Dr.  Loftis  went  out  to  Tibet  as  a  medical  missionary  of 
the  Disciples  Church.  His  diary  contains  the  events  of  the 
outgoing  trip  together  with  incidents  of  the  daily  life  of  a 
missionary   in   this  "closed"   land. 

HON.  WILLIAM  JENNINGS  BRYAN 

The  Fruits  of  the  Tree 

i6mo,  boards,  net  35c. 

Thif  is  the  address  which  Mr.  Bryan  delivered  at  th« 
World's  Missionary  Conference  at  Edinburgh  and  contains 
his  views  on  missions — views  which  are  the  result  of  his 
personal  and  painstaking  investigation  on   foreign  fields. 

HELEN  S.  DYER 

Pandita  Ramabai 

The  Story  of  Her  Life.     Second  Bdition.     Illus- 
trated, i2mo,  cloth,  $1.25. 

"The  story  of  a  wonderful  life,  still  in  the  midcareer  of 
high  usefulness.  'Pandita'  should  be  known  to  all  American 
women." — The   Outlook. 

MINERVA   L   GUTHAPFEL 

The  Happie^  Girl  in  Korea 

And  Other  Sketches  from  the  Land  of  Morning 
Calm.    Illustrated,  i2mo,  cloth,  net  60c. 

These  sketch  stories  of  actual  life  in  Korea  by  a  mis- 
sionary of  experience  and  insight  portray  conditions  of  real 
life;  they  combine  humor,  pathos  and  vivid  description. 

JOHN  JACKSON 

Secretary  to  the  Mission  to  Lexers  in  India  and  the  East. 

Mary  Reed,  Missionary  to  the  Lepers 

New  Edition.  Illustrated,  i2mo,  cloth,  net  50c.; 
paper,  net  25c. 

G.    T.   B.    DAVIS 

Korea  for  Chri^ 

Illustrated,  paper,  net  2Sc. 

An  effective  report  of  the  recent  revivals  in  Korea  told 
by  an  eye  witness,  who  himself  participated  in  the  work. 


MISSIONARY 


JULIUS  RICHTER 

A  History  of  Protestant  Missions  in  the 
Near  East    svo,  cioth,  net  $3.50. 

A  companion  volume  to  "A  History  of  Missions  in  In- 
dia," by  this  great  authority.  The  progress  of  the  gospel  is 
traced  in  Asia  Minor,  Persia,  Arabia,  Syria,  and  Egypt. 
Non-sectarian    in    spirit,    thoroughly   comprehensive    in    scope. 

JOHN  P.  JONES,  P.P. 

The  Modern  Missionary  Challenge 

Yale   Lectures,   igio.      i2mo,    cloth,   net   $1.50,. 

These  lectures,  by  the  author  of  "India's  Problem, 
Krisha  or  Christ?"  are  a  re-survey  of  the  demand  of  missions 
in  the  light  of  progress  made,  in  their  relation  to  human 
thought.  The  new  difficulties,  the  new  incentives,  are  con- 
sidered by  one  whose  experience  in  the  field  and  as  a  writer, 
entitle    him   to   consideration. 

ALONZO  BUNKER,  P.P. 

Sketches  from  the  Karen  Hills 

Illustrated,    i2mo.   Cloth,   net  $1.00. 

lliese  descriptive  chapters  from  a  missionary's  life  in 
Burma  are  of  exceptional  vividness  and  rich  in  an  appre- 
ciation for  color.  His  pen  pictures  give  not  only  a  splendid 
insight  into  native  life,  missionary  work,  but  have  a  distinc- 
tive  literary  charm   which   characterizes  his   "Soo    Ihah." 

JAMES  F.  LOVE 

The  Unique  Message  and  Universal 
Mission  of  Christianity 

lamo,  cloth,  net  $1.25. 

A  volume  dealing  with  the  philosophy  of  missions  at 
once  penetrating  and  unusual.  It  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most 
original  and  v^uable   contributions  to   the  subject   yet  made. 

WILLIAM  EPWARP  GARPNER 

Winners  of  the  World  During  Twenty 

Centuries       Adapted  for  Boys  and  Girls. 
A  Story  and  a  Study  of  Missionary  Effort  from  the  T'lmc  of 
Paul  to  the  Present  Day.    Cloth,  net  60c;  paper,  net  30c. 

Children's  Missionary  Series 

Illustrated  In  Colors,  Cloth,  Pecorated,  each,  net  60c, 
Children  of  Africa.    James  B.  Baird. 
Children  of  Arabia.    John  C.  Yeung. 
Children  of  China.    C.  Campbell  Brown. 
ChUdren  of  India.    Janet  Harvey  K^lmatk 


MISSIONARY 


The  World  Missionary  Conference 

The  Report  of  the  Ecumenical  Conference  held  in  Edinburgh 
in  1910.    In  nine  volumes,  each,  net  75c.;  the  complete  set 
of  nine  volumes,  net  $5. 00. 
A  whole  missionary  library  by  experts  and  wrought  up  to 
the  day  and  hour.     The  Conference  has  been  called  a  modern 
council  of  Nicea  and  the  report  the  greatest  missionary  pub- 
lication  ever   made. 

Vol    1.  Carrying    the    Gospel.        Vol.  6.  The  Home   Base. 
Vol  2.  The     Church    in    the       Vol.  7.  Missions  and  Govern- 
Mission    Field.  ,^  ,  'I'^'ii^-  ^.  „  „  j 

Vol.  3.  Christian  Education.  Vol.  8.   Co-operation        and 


Vol.  4.  The    Missionary    Mes-  Unity. 


sage. 


Vol.  9.  History,   Records  and 


Vol.  5.   Preparation     of    Mis-  Addresses, 

sionaries. 

Echoes  from  Edinburgh,  1910 

By  W.  H.  T.  Gairdner,  author  of'D.  M.  Thornton:' 
i2mo,  cloth,  net  50c. 

The  popular  story  of  the  Conference— its  preparation— its 
management— its  ettect  and  forecast  of  its  influence  on  the 
church  at  home  and  the  work  abroad.  An  official  publication 
in  no  way  conflicting  with  the  larger  work— which  it  rather 
supplements. 

HENRY  H.  JESSUrs  AUTOBIOGRAPHY 

Fifty-three  Years  in  Syria 

Introduction  by  James  S.  Dennis.    Two  volumes,  illustrated, 

8vo,  cloth,  boxed,  net  $5.00. 

"A  rich  mine  of  information  for  the  .listorian,  the  eth- 
nologist and  the  student  of  human  nature  apart  from  the 
labors  to  which  the  author  devoted  his  life,  A  thoroughly  in- 
teresting book  that  will  yield  endless  pickings.  —N.   Y.  .iun. 

ROBERT  E.  SPEER 

Christianity  and  the  Nations 

The  Duff  Lectures  for  1910. 

8vo,    cloth,    net    $2.00.  ,  ,        ,  ,^    . 

Among  the  many  notable  volumes  that  have  resulted 
from  the  well-known  Duff  foundation  Lectureship  this  new 
work  embodying  the  series  given  by  Mr  Robert  E.  bpcer 
in  Edinburgh,  Glasgow  and  Aberdeen,  will  rank  among  the 
mosT  important.  The  general  theme,  "The  Reflex  .Influence 
of  Missions  Upon  the  Nations,"  suggests  a  large,  important, 
and  most  interesting  work. 

G.    T.  B.  DAVIS 

Korea  for  Chri^ 

25c  net  .     -, 

An  effective  report  of  the  recent  revivals  in  Korea  told  by 
in  eye  witness,  who  himself  participated  in  the  work. 


MISSIONS 


R  OBER  T  McCHE  YNE  MA  TEER 

Character  Building  in  China 

The  Life  Story  of  Julia  Brown  Mateer.  With  In- 
troduction by  Robert  E.  Speer.  Illustrated,  net  $i.oo. 

Robert  E.  Speer  says:  "Mrs.  Mateer  belonged  to  the  old 
heroic  school  which  did  hard  things  without  making  any  fuss, 
which  achieved  the  impossible  because  it  was  one's  duty  to 
achieve  it.  May  this  story  of  her  strong,  vigorous  life  be  the 
summons  to  many  young  women  in  our  colleges  and  Church 
to-day. — From   the  Introduction. 

GEORGE  F.  HERRICK,  P.P. 

Fifty  Ytars  Missionary  of  the  American  Board  in  Turkey 

Christian  and  Mohammedan 

A  Plea  for  Bridging  the  Chasm.  Illustrated,  i2mo, 
cloth,  net  $1.25. 

"Dr.  Herrick  has  given  his  life  to  missionary  work 
among  the  Mohammedans.  This  book  is  the  mature  expres- 
sion of  his  profound  belief  that  the  followers  of  the  Arabian 
Prophet  are  to  be  won  to  Christianity  by  patiently  showing 
Jesus  Christ,  with  kindly  appreciation  of  the  good  while  fully 
gauging  the  deadly  evil  of  their  religious  system.  Opinions 
from  leading  missionaries  to  Mohammedans,  in  all  parts  of 
the  world  have  been  brought  together  in  the  book. — Henry 
Otis  Didght.  LL.D. 

EPWARP  C.  PERKINS,  M.  P. 

A  Glimpse  of  the  Heart  of  China 

Illustrated,  i6mo,  cloth,  net  60c. 

"A  simple,  clear  story  from  a  physician's  point  of  view 
of  the  sickness,  the  unnecessary  suffering,  the  ignorant  and 
super.stitious  practice  of  the  native  physician,  constrasted 
with  the  comfort  and  healing  that  follow  in  the  wake  of 
the  skillful  treatment  of  a  Christian  Chinese  'woman  doc- 
tor,' has  in  it  many  elements  of  interest.  Ihe  reader  of 
these  pages  feels  that  he  has  truly  had  a  'glimpse  of  the 
heart  of   China.'  "■ — Missionary   Voice. 

ANSriCE  ABBOTT 

The  Stolen  Bridegroom  east  Vi^BpA^N^fo^L^s 

With  Introduction  by  George  Smith,  CLE.,  Au- 
thor of  "The  Conversion  of  India."  Illustrated, 
i2mo,  cloth,  net  75c. 

"The  author  reveals,  as  only  an  expert  could,  the  life  of 
the  Marathi  women  of  Western  India.  With  delicate  touch, 
but  realistic  effect,  she  draws  back  the  curtain  that  conceals 
the  Zenana The  Missionary  with  the  native  Bible- 
woman  is  seen  on  her  daily  round  of  love  and  mercy,  in 
the  home,  the  hospital  and  the  school,  winning  the  weary  and 
despairing  women  and  widows." — George  Smitlu 


Theological  Semmary-Speei 


1    1012  01033  7329 


DATE  DUE 

1 

/"-^^ 

i«ea*^ 

.    ^.^i^r 

r*'*^^^*-^''^^ 

-^S^i^^S^ 

-^ 

1. 

--^.^ 

^ 

V. 

vii4^o 

^002 

_ 

-■    t — 

:-:si^ 

Wk 

-*'^**^Sii 

if^f»SU>l»>^*>^r 

JUN  i  ^ 

Demco,  Inc.  38-293 


